Bahamut's Prophecy
by Shiary
Summary: After fierce negotiations with Niflheim, Lucis and Tenebrae are about to regain full control of their territory. The price for such a concession, and for the promise of peace, is Prince Noctis' marriage to an Imperial Princess to join the countries together. Noctis sets out with his friends to do just that but not all is as it seems. (part 4 of the Cure Au series)
1. Chapter 1

Noctis stood with ease on the first dais on the stairway to the throne, looking up at his father with a determined if a bit sad gaze. Behind him were his friends, his lovers and the men he trusted the most on Eos, waiting to start on the journey that would end with Noctis married to someone he had never met before and who might keep the prince from his lovers. Above him the booming and familiar voice of his father rang out across the mostly empty room, ''The decreed hour is come. Set forth with my blessing, Prince Noctis.'' Noctis bowed and thanked his father, ''Thank you your Majesty.'' The Prince hesitated for a moment, wanting to say more but knowing it wasn't the time or the place for sentimentality. The king shifted on his throne, glancing at Ravus who stood quietly in silent support of both men, ''Take your leave and go in the grace of the gods.'' Noctis straightened, giving a small nod and muttering, ''Right.'' To himself.

The Prince and his retinue bowed towards the Throne and the King sitting on it before turning around and leaving the room, rolling his shoulders to get rid of some of the tension that always seem to show up whenever he had to act princely. Ignis reached out to press lightly on Noct's right shoulder, asking quietly, ''Having trouble your highness?'' Noct groan and leaned into the touch and answering Ignis' concern with a sigh, ''Just the usual Ignis.'' Gladio snorted, leaning on the wall, ''Don't spoil the Princess too much Specs, he needs to shape up before he gets married.'' Gladio's tone was teasing with just a hint of worry for his prince. Prompto was fiddling with the edge of his Crownguard uniform, watching as Ignis slowly helped Noct work out the kink in his shoulder.

''Noctis.'' A voice called out to the group as soon as the doors to the Throne Room opened again and Regis walked out, leaning on Ravus as he limped his way over to his son. Noct shifted and hurried over to help his dad walk, thanking Ravus with a nod before turning his attention to his dad. ''Are you ok? You should have sent Ravus to grab us instead on coming out!'' Regis chuckled, smiling at his son, ''I am fine Noctis, merely tired from all the preparations for the Signing that is all. You needn't worry about me.'' Noctis bit his lip, he disagreed with his dad on that point, having seen his hair starting to turn silver from the strain of the Crystal's magic and the stress of the last year. Regis had been putting on his brace more often than ever before and had been relying on Clarus to help him return to his room or office at the end of the day when exhaustion rendered his leg too stiff to use. ''You're my dad, of course I'm going to worry about you.'' The 'I love you' went unsaid but Regis was well aware of his son's love for him.

With a huff, Regis turned to Ignis, Gladio and Prompto, all of them waiting at a respectful distance to allow the father and son some privacy, having been joined by Ravus who was currently showing Prompto a notebook, probably from Luna if Regis was correct. Each of those young men had grown so much since their arrival at the Citadel and Regis felt a father's pride in being able to see them grow in such a manner. ''Ignis, Gladiolus, Prompto. I ask not that you guide my wayward son but merely that you stand by his side.'' He meet each of their gaze squarely as the King and Father spoke, ''Please use your trip to enjoy yourselves before the wedding. It isn't every day that you are sent to see the sights of Lucis on the Crown's dime.'' Regis added to tease the men. ''Dad!'' Noctis whined as he blushed, ''I'm not a child anymore and this trip is for the good of Lucis not for pleasure.'' Noct added with a frown, his father sighed and reached out to cup Noct's face with a tender touch. ''I know and that why I want you to enjoy yourself. There is still time before the signing and you have a week afterwards before you must wed. Please Noctis, enjoy yourself until you reach Altissa. It will help ease my worry.''

Noct leaned into the touch and nodded, ''Alright, I'll try but only if you promise me to be careful while the Nifs are here. I don't trust them despite all their words of peace, it just… doesn't feel right.'' Regis offered his son a smile, hoping to reassure the young man, ''I will. Don't worry about the Treaty and go, see the sights outside of Insomnia and meet your subjects while you do. Remember, Wherever you go, the line of Lucis walks beside you. Walk tall my son and be careful. '' Noctis smiled, leaning to press his forehead to his dad with a shuddering breath before straightening up and turning to look at Ravus, ''I leave him in your hand, Ravus!'' Ravus smirked as he moved over to support the aging King as Noctis moved away, the prince stopping him momentarily with a hand on his shoulder and whispered into the Kingsglaive commander's ear, ''Please, look after him for me.'' Ravus shifted and met Noctis' gaze with his own determined one, ''You have my word Noctis. I will be by his side until Niflheim is no longer within the walls of Insomnia.''

Noctis felt some of the unease slip away at Ravus' words, offering the older man a nod of thanks before he turned to look at his friends, ''Shall we?'' Prompto chirped, ''Ya! Let's go.'' Ignis smiled and offered the king another bow as he reminded the prince, ''We should leave soon, we have quite the distance to travel.'' Gladio nodded, adding his own bow toward the king before turning to follow Noctis out of the room. Noctis forced himself not to look back as he descended the stairs to where Cor was waiting with the keys to the Regalia. The Marshal greeting the four boys, ''Are you ready, Prince Noctis?'' Noctis nodded, ''As ready as I'll ever be. Sorry for making you wait Cor. Dad wanted to talk a bit before I left.'' Cor smiled in understanding, his own eyes going to watch as Prompto walked over to the trunk of the luxurious car to check on something, his camera most likely, ''I see. Here are the keys for the Regalia, I added 2 packages to your luggage. They are gifts from his Majesty, Clarus and myself for Cid and Weskham if you are so kind as to stop and give it to them?'' Ignis had stayed close to the duo, when Cor extended the car keys towards Noctis, Ignis interfered and snatched the keys before the prince could do so, ''I will be taking those, Marshal. Please do not worry, I shall see that the gifts are delivered to their recipients without trouble.''

A flash of blinding light let them know Prompto had gotten his camera out and sure enough the blond was grinning as he took another photo of his friends with his uncle on the steps of the Citadel. Cor chuckled and asked teasingly, ''If you need us to pose for you then you should say something, Royal Photographer.'' Prompto grinned a bit awkwardly at his Uncle's words even as Noctis hide his smile behind his hand, eyes sparkling with amusement. The title had been a joke present from Noctis to Prompto after both had gotten drunk and Prompto had started complaining about how Ignis and Gladio had a reason to be beside Noctis all the time but he didn't and people were talking about it. Noctis had woken up the next day with a massive hangover and a video sent to his dad showing Noctis bestowing the new royal title on a red-faced Prompto, his dad replying with a single word _Done._ Shaking his head at the memory, Noct started walking down the stair to join Prompto, wrapping an arm around his friend's shoulder to look at the picture Prompto had taken of them, ''Umm not bad. Why don't you save it? It'll make a good addition to the gallery.'' Noct said. Prompto grinned and saved the pictures before turning to wave at Cor, ''See you in a couple of weeks Uncle!''

Cor smiled and replied, ''Take care and enjoy Altissa, Prompto.'' He then shifted his gaze to the rest of the group and told them, ''That goes for all of you.'' Ignis bowed to the Marshall before hurrying after Noctis and Prompto, both who grinned and were pushing each other as they argued on who was sitting where while Gladio waved back at the Marshall before gruffly telling the two bickering boys, ''Cut it out and sit down already.'' Prompto grinned and vaulted over the passenger door when Noctis got distracted by turning to glare at Gladio. ''Hey!'' exclaimed the prince when he realized what Prompto had done, turning his pout and glare on the cheerful blond before slipping into the back seat with a sigh. Ignis chuckled as he took his own seat behind the wheel, verifying his mental list one last time to ensure nothing had been forgotten before starting to drive through the mostly empty streets of Insomnia. As they wound through the familiar road and unto less familiar ones, Prompto reached out and turned on the radio, changing the stations before settling on one playing a soft refrain.

 _When the night has come, and the way is dark,_ _  
And that moon is the only light you see.  
No I won't be afraid, no I-I-I won't be afraid  
Just as long as the people come and stand by me._

The road out of Insomnia gave the men time to enjoy the beautiful, if a bit hot, day until the Regalia broke down with a sputtering groan and left them stranded on an almost empty stretch of road, a few miles away from Hammerhead. Prompto frowned as he carefully guided the sputtering car onto the shoulder of the road, before parking it and getting out with Ignis. ''Gladio, Noct, if you could both keep an eye out for anyone passing by that would be helpful.'' Gladio nodded, ''Sure thing Specs. Come on Noct.'' Gladio got out of the car, leaning on the side so he could keep an eye out on the empty road while Ignis and Prompto concentrated on trying to fix the Regalia. Noct didn't get out of the car, too lazy to move too far, and simply leaned on the back rest and joined Gladio in keeping watch.

Prompto opened the hood and promptly moved back as thick grey smoke started pouring out from under it. He felt Ignis gently grab his arms and pull him back and away from the smoke, asking his lover, ''Are you alright Prompto?'' Prompto nodded, coughing a bit and blinking rapidely to clear his eyes from the sting of the smoke before he looked back at the still smoking engine and swore. ''I don't think we'll be able to deal with this without a full garage at our disposal Iggy.'' Ignis nodded reluctantly, ''So it would appear, I'll see if I can contact Miss Cindy and have her come pick us up.'' Ignis waited until Prompto had stopped coughing before moving back to grab his phone, ''Don't bother Iggy. There's no service here.'' Interrupted Noctis, who was glaring in annoyance at his own phone. That's how the four friends-turned-lovers found themselves a few hours later pushing the Regalia ever so slowly into Cid's garage in Hammerhead.

''Well, well if it aint the four pretty boys of the Crown City. Having trouble with this beauty?'' teased Cindy as she walked over to greet them, cleaning her hands on one of the rags she kept on her at all times. Prompto grinned excitedly at the welcome, ''Cindy! You're a sight for sore eyes.'' Cindy laughed, ''Aw, that sweet of ya. Still, what did ya do to this poor girl?'' The mechanic wondered with a hum, leaning over to look at the dash. Ignis apologised to the young lady, ''Our apologies, Miss Aurum, I'm afraid there was a slight complication and the engine seems to have broken down. '' Cindy frowned as she looked up to Ignis, Prompto nodded emphatically and added, ''I went to look under the hood and it was full of really thick grey smoke! It took like an hour before it stopped smoking!'' Cindy leaned down to pop the hood before going up front, lifting the hood and taking a look at the engine.

''Well this girl going to take a while to fix. Roll her right in boys and I'll get to it right away, and Ignis? It's Cindy.'' Cindy said after a few moments. Noctis and Prompto groaned at the idea of pushing the Regalia once again but all four quickly followed Cindy's directions and brought the Regalia into the garage. As they were about to leave the car in Cindy's capable hands, Ignis remembered the gift Cor had given them for Cid. ''Cindy, is your grandfather around? I have a gift for him from his Majesty.'' Ignis inquired, moving to grab said gift from the trunk of the car before Cindy started working. Cindy half-heartedly pointed to the dinner, ''Paw-Paw went to eat. You boys hurry on along and let me work on this beauty.'' Noct smirked and prodded Prompto in the ribs as the photographer lifted his camera to star struck eyes and took a picture of Cindy waist deep in the hood of the Regalia. Prompto pouted at Noctis but followed him out as Gladio took the gift from Ignis and wrapped his arm around the adviser's shoulders and gently guided the man out of the garage.

It didn't take long for the four of them to find the dinner, Prompto and Noctis beaming when they realized it was a Crow's Nest Dinner, then to find Cid Aurum sitting in one of the booth with his perpetual grumpy expression on his face. The older man grunted when he spotted the prince and his personal guards arriving, ''So you finally got here. Took your damn time.'' He muttered as greeting, looking over the guys carefully and seeing the exhaustion lining their bodies. Noctis gave Cid a mocking bow and told him, ''We have arrived with gifts, Sir Aurum. Surely that buys us some leniency.'' Cid grunted again and watched as the wall of pure muscle that was the prince's shield, ( a damn copy of his father at the same age), put a slim box in front of him. ''Hum, you boys look like hell. Get some rest, you'll need it.'' With those words, Cid got up, grabbed the box and left the dinner to return to the garage and his granddaughter's steady presence.

''He does have a point.'' Said Gladio with a grin, ''We all could use some food and a shower. I saw a caravan outside, let's rent it and take it easy until Cindy's done repairing the Regalia.'' Ignis sighed, glancing at Noctis and Prompto who both looked tired and sweaty. ''I suppose there is no helping it. Gladio? If you'd be so kind as to go get our things from the car, I shall order some food for all of us and met you all at the caravan.'' Prompto grinned and gave Ignis a mock salute before grabbing Noctis and pulling him out of the dinner with a hurried, ''We'll rent the caravan!'' before disappearing from view. Ignis and Gladio glanced at each other fondly before Gladio left for the garage and Ignis turned to speak with the cook behind the counter. ''Apologies for the trouble, is it possible to order to go?'' the adviser asked. The man behind the counter grinned and replied, ''Sure thing! What can I do you for? Name's Takka by the way, you need anything, you let me know.'' Ignis nodded and gave his order, ''My thanks, I shall have four of the specials and four of the Kenny's pop as well.'' Ignis waited patiently as the food was made, perusing the different hunts available for hunters in the area.

Noctis and Prompto were grinning like crazy as they headed for the caravan, slipping the 30 gils needed to rent it for the night. They pushed each other through the door and into the cramped space with playful shoves, ''Come on Noct! Let's grab a shower before the big guy decides to hoard all the hot water.'' Prompto said with an inviting smile to Noctis who looked a bit lost in his thoughts now that they weren't moving. Noct blinked a few times before he could formulate an answer, ''Umm sure.'' It wasn't until Prompto grabbed him and tugged him into the bathroom that Noctis really woke up, it was hard not to when Prompto was kissing him so gently. He allowed his blond lover to draw him into the small room, hearing him lock the door behind him before Prompto whispered, ''Let me take care of you.''

Gladio walked over to the garage whistling to himself, he knocked on the metal door before going in. Cindy and Cid were both in the garage, barely glancing up to see who had walked in before returning to work. Cid grumbled, ''Need anything boy?'' Gladio grinned, strolling to the trunk and opening it. ''Just here to pick up some of our stuff since we'll be staying the night.'' Explained the Shield, picking up their bags and closing the trunk of the Regalia easily. Cid humphed and handed Cindy a wrench, ignoring Gladio as the man left the shop. Gladio went to the caravan, shaking his head as he heard Noctis and Prompto's voices from the shower and dropped the bags unto the beds before heading back out. He joined Ignis in the dinner just in time for the food Ignis had ordered to be ready. Ignis smiled at the sight of Gladio strutting over to lean on the counter, ''Need a hand Specs?'' the shield asks. Ignis smirks and hands him one of the bags and take the other for himself. He take off, leaving a slightly transfixed Gladio staring at his back (and lower backside) before the behemoth of a man remembered where he was and went after his boyfriend.

Ignis opens the door to the caravan just as Prompto come out of the bathroom with a satisfied grinned, drying his hair with a towel. ''Welcome back Iggy! What did you get us?'' asked the blond as he walked over to where Gladio had dropped his bag and dug around for some clothes. Ignis smiled affectionately at the boy, putting his bag down on the small table and replied, ''The specials of course. Is Noctis almost done in there?'' Gladio copied Ignis, dropping the bag with the canned drinks and the fries on the table before smacking Prompto as he bent over his bag. Prompto yelped at the smack, glaring at Gladio as he straightened and started getting dressed, he didn't need to answer Ignis as Noctis did so himself. ''Ya, I'm done Ignis. Can we eat now? I'm starving.'' The prince said as he left the bathroom, a towel over his hips. Ignis nodded indulgently, placing the burgers and drinks around the table. If the reason for their travel wasn't the upcoming marriage of their beloved Prince, Ignis could have imagined this to be a simple vacation with his boyfriends. Gladio nudged the advisor out of his thoughts, leaning down to whisper, ''Don't worry so much Ignis. Let's enjoy our first night together, outside of Insomnia.'' He pressed the issue with a lingering kiss, ignoring the wolf whistle from Prompto and pleased hum from Noctis at the sight. Gladio was quite determined to ensure everyone enjoyed their night away from all responsibility; he had plans for them after all


	2. Chapter 2

Ignis was almost always the first one to wake up every morning, a habit created out of necessity, but Gladio was never far behind him. As Ignis opened his eyes in the low light of morning, he couldn't help but smile when the first thing he saw was Prompto's sleeping face, smiling contently pressed against Ignis' chest. The man carefully moved the blond until he could safely leave the bed without waking him up, reaching to get his glasses and his phone from their resting place.

A quick look to its screen gave Ignis the time, 5:55 am, and he quickly disables the alarm before it could start vibrating. A movement on the other side of the caravan told him that Gladio was waking up and Ignis greet the Shield with a smile and a whisper, ''Good morning Gladio. What would you like for breakfast?' Gladio yawned, stretching his arms overhead before he returns the greeting, ''Morning Iggy, I'm good with anything.'' He shifts Noctis over roughly, smirking when his prince groaned and curled up among the blankets still asleep. Both men chuckle at the cute sight before they separate to go through their morning routine.

Gladio smirked as he left the caravan, taking the time to carefully stretch before he goes running around the edge of the small town for the next half hour. Gladio enjoys the peaceful morning, the sights of the rising sun over the garage and finally the sight of Cindy walking out with a cute yawn and waving at him every time he passed in front of the garage. By the time he had worked up a decent sweat, Cindy had moved the Regalia and parked it outside of the garage.

''She's all ready for ya boys whenev'r ya want her!'' Shouted Cindy the next time Gladio passed by, it was enough to make the large man turn back and jog to her, slowing down until he stopped in front of her with a grin. ''She looks great, thanks Cindy. How much do we owe you?'' Gladio asked, patting the hood of the Regalia as he did. Cindy replied, ''10 000 gils. That's what Paw-Paw said.''

Gladio winced at the price mentioned but nodded, ''Got it. I'll let the others know. See you later Cindy.'' He waved at the mechanic as he headed back towards the caravan. The costs of the repairs were much higher then he or Ignis had estimated when they had gone over how much gils to bring during their trip, it would mean re-budgeting everything unless they took on some hunts to replenish what they had to use.

Ignis was sitting by the caravan, reading and drinking a cup of coffee when Gladio dropped by in front of him, the adviser flicking his eyes up briefly before returning to the morning newspaper in his hands. Gladio didn't wait to break the news, ''Cindy's done with the Regalia. She said it's 10 000 gils for the repairs.''

Ignis stilled before carefully putting his cup down on the table, folding the newspaper and only then did he raise his eyes to meet Gladio's. ''10 000 gils? Are you certain?'' Gladio nodded once and Ignis sighed, ''Of course you are. This will leave us with very little for the rest of our trip…'' Ignis drums his fingers on the table thoughtfully.

Gladio leaned back on his chair, watching as Ignis planned, the adviser's eyes narrowing in a way that sent shivers down Gladio's spine though he would never admit to it willingly. Gladio reached out and grabbed the newspaper to read, knowing that Ignis would let him know when he had decided on their course of action. Until then Gladio was going to take it easy and enjoy the morning.

It wasn't it Prompto and then Noctis had joined them at the table that Ignis seemed to make up his mind. As the adviser served them all breakfast pancakes (with fresh whip cream and fruits), he told Noctis about their financial troubles, ''We seem to have expanded the last of our funds on the repairs, I would suggest we confer with Cindy.''

Noctis nodded, still half asleep, ''Sure Ignis, if that what you think is best.'' He yawned before taking another bite from his plate, ignoring the flash of Prompto's camera as his friend took some pictures. Ignis seemed satisfied with his answer, giving him another pancake before he joined them for breakfast. Once they were done, Noctis got up, stretched and told his friends, ''Guess I'll go see what Cindy has to say. You want to come Prompto?'' Prompto grinned and nodded, quickly handing Ignis his empty plate before following Noctis towards the open garage.

Cindy was standing at the entrance of her garage, looking into the darkened building with a frown of worry as Noctis approached. When she saw the two boys coming towards her, she moved towards them, giving them a quick smile, ''Morning boys! What can I do ya for?''

Noctis smiled back at the mechanic, ''Heard the Regalia is ready but it's a bit steep for a simple tune up don't you think?'' shifting a bit uneasily as he talked. Cinndy looked a bit surprised then grinned with amusement, ''Oh, now I get it! This must be what Paw-Paw meant when he said he was going to 'teach them boys a lesson'. Told me he ought to have y'all take care of some ornery varmins that've been causing a ruckus round here.'' The mechanic crossed her arms and added, ''I'd be happy to pay y'all for your services if you're up for the challenge. How 'bout it?''

Prompto shook his head from beside Noctis, ''So much for finding an easy way out… Thanks a lot Paw-Paw.'' Cindy grinned, evidently she was amused by the situation, and added, ''Don't ya forget to be careful, no running 'round after dark! The daemons're liable to rip y'all to shreds.'' Noctis frowned and nodded, taking the piece of paper with all the information they needed to find their target Cindy was extending. ''We'll do that, thanks Cindy. By the way, are you all right? You looked worried when we got here.'' Said Noctis as he pocketed the paper.

Cindy was a bit surprised by the prince's question, her smile fading into surprise. Prompto had also noticed the way Cindy had been acting on their arrival and added, ''You know you can always talk to us if you need help right?'' The blond gunner shifted a bit, his eyes flicking between the ground, Noctis and Cindy until at last the mechanic sighed and replied, '' Its Paw-Paw. He's been out of sorts since he opened that box last night. Just staring at his hammer and mumbling to himself.''

Prompto and Noctis shared a look, ''A box?'' Prompto prompted gently. Cindy nodded, ''Yup, came back with it right after you boys arrived. Didn't open it till last night and he's been out of it since. Don't think he slept either.'' Cindy looked back at the garage with a sigh before turning back to look at the boys, ''Thank ya for offering but there aint much to do about it. You boys go and do what ya need, I'll be here with Paw-Paw when ya're finished.'' With that, Cindy waved them off.

Reluctantly Noct and Prompto made their way back to the others, uneasy about leaving Cindy with her grandfather in such a strange state but neither could think of a way to help. Ignis and Gladio had finished cleaning up the dishes and were finishing packing everyone's bags within the caravan when Noct and Prompto climbed in to join them. Ignis and Gladio were quick to pick up on the forlorn atmosphere surrounding their younger boyfriends.

Gladio stopped what he was doing, ''Everything alright? Noct? Prompto?'' He looked between both of them with worry. Prompto sighed, sitting down on the nearest bed, ''Cindy's worried about Cid. She said that he's been acting strange last night ever since he opened the gift from Uncle Cor and the others.'' Noctis move up to rest his head on Ignis' shoulder and nodded, adding quietly, ''It just feels odd. Dad was talking like we might not see each other again when we left and now Cid's acting weird because of something Dad sent him… Maybe we should go back?''

Ignis finished putting away the shirt he had in hand before he reached out to cup the back of Noctis' head gently, looking over to see Gladio sitting beside Prompto with an arm around the blond's shoulders. ''We can't do that Noct, as much as I wish we could. Whatever is happening between your father and his friends may not have any bearing with the Treaty. Now, what about the Regalia? Were you able to talk with Cindy about the repairs?''

Noctis nodded, leaning into Ignis' touch like a cat, ''Ya, she said that she would be willing to give us a discount and pay us if we went on a hunt for her and Cid.'' Noct reached into his pocket, taking out the slightly crumpled piece of paper with the hunt's information and handing it over wordlessly to Ignis. Gladio looked up from Prompto, '' A hunt? I guess we'll find out soon enough how you two handle the beasts out here.'' With a grin, he leant over and pressed a kiss to Prompto's sun warm hair.

Ignis took the paper from Noctis, raising it to his eyes and read it out loud, ''Hunt for Reapertails: Three groups of Reapertails have been spotted around Hammerhead; kill all three groups for reward. Reward offered by Cindy Aurum and Cid Sophiar.'' Gladio grinned, gently pushing Prompto as the man stood back up, ''Reapertails? We shouldn't have any trouble with them then.'' Ignis grinned, giving Noctis a kiss on his forehead, ''Indeed, this should prove to be an adequate trial for us. Now, we must finish cleaning up if we are to leave and finish this hunt before nightfall.''

With a groan, Noctis pushed himself off his boyfriend but went ahead and started stuffing the few things he had taken out of his bag last night back into it. Prompto chuckled at the sight but did the same, ''So… What exactly are reapertails?'' he asked as he picked up his stuff from the bedside table. Gladio chuckled and answered, ''Reapertails are small and quick beasts with pincers and a curved tail that ends with a stinger. They tend to stick in packs that range from 5 to 10.''

Prompto nodded, a little worried at the prospect of having to fight something he had never seen before despite all the years of training with Gladio and his Uncle, or the few experiences he's had dealing with assassins while around his friends. Gladio picked up on his hesitation, the Shield finishing to pack his bag before moving over to help Prompto, ''You'll be fine Prompto. We'll be there with you.'' Prompto smiled gratefully at Gladio before zipping his bag up.

The four were quickly done packing, bringing their bags over to the trunk of the Regalia and only bringing their weapons and some provisions before heading out with a final wave to Cindy. Ignis lead their small group, keeping a careful eye for anything that might have mistaken them for easy prey, with Noctis and Prompto following easily behind him. Gladio was last, his eyes were never still, moving around to keep track of everything and everyone, the group stopping every once in a while to allow Prompto to take pictures until at last Ignis signaled that he had found the first group of reapertails.

''Looks like we found our first targets, ready Noct? Prompto?'' Asked Ignis as he dropped into a crouch, extending a hand in warning behind him. Noctis, Prompto and Gladio quickly followed his lead, all of them dropping into crouches and making their way silently and quietly to Ignis. A glance from Ignis had Noctis and Prompto nodding their head as answer to his question before the strategist returned his attention to the reapertails wandering in a small group in front of them.

Gladio moved up to stand beside Ignis, ''What's the plan Ignis?'' His own glance showed 5 reapertails, moving together around the sandy area. Ignis shifted his gaze away from the beasts and unto his lovers, ''The plan is rather simple. Noct pick a target and on my mark warp strike it, Prompto back him up until me and Gladio can get there then try to pick your shots. Shout if either of you get into trouble, understood?''

All of them nodded and waited for Ignis' signal. Noctis looked through the 5 reapertails gathered, trying to figure out which one he should pick as a target. He felt all tense and slightly nervous, his right hand opening and closing, ready to summon any of his weapons at a moment's notice. In the end, Noctis choose the reapertail on the opposite side of the group, just in time too as Ignis suddenly said, ''Now!'' and Noctis warped.

Noctis' choice of weapon was his favorite daggers, a gift from Ignis and Gladio on his 18th birthday, and his warp-strike was aimed perfectly for the reapertail's head. As Noct appeared in a flurry of blue crystal shards, he gripped his daggers firmly and slashed at his target with both arms, the blades cutting easily through the thick shell and into the beast's brain. Noctis heard the sound of gunshots and turned, the daggers disappearing as he brought his hands together to grip his engine sword and swinging down at the reapertail who had moved towards him the moment Noct had appeared in their midst.

Prompto rose to his feet the moment Noct had thrown his daggers at Ignis' signal, his gun appearing in hand and he followed the path of the thrown dagger until Noct reappeared and killed his target in one go. ''One shot!'' Prompto shouted, excited at his boyfriend's fighting skill, before he found his own target, a reapertail who had been facing Noctis' target. Prompto saw the beast raise its claws, clearly aiming at Noctis, and squeezed the trigger in rapid succession. The gunshots were loud in his ears but his aim was perfect and the bullets found their mark in the thin layers of flesh between the joints of the claws.

Ignis and Gladio moved at the same instant, not needing to think before acting in concert as they both ran towards the reapertails. Ignis drawing a lance from the Armiger and jumping to increase the force of his strike, directed at the closest beast to himself. Gladio had grabbed his own sword from within Noctis' magic, bringing to bear the tremendous force of his body into a horizontal movement aimed at the two remaining beasts.

Ignis' blow shatters the protective shell of the reapertail, and gives Prompto the perfect shot to kill it before it could retaliate against Ignis, who was hand sprinting away with grace. The sight was worthy of a picture and Prompto grinned as he did just that. Gladio's strike killed one of the reapertails with ease and cut off the claws of the second one, Noctis warping in to drive his own lance into its brain without hesitation.

''Woot! That was great!'' Shouted Prompto victoriously. He jogged over to join the rest of their small group, grinning widely as he high fived Noctis. Ignis dusted his hands with a satisfied smile, ''That went well, wouldn't you say Gladio?'' He looked over to see the behemoth of a boyfriend kneeling beside the last reapertail killed, a dagger in hand and shifting through its remains. Gladio grunted in reply, mind focused on carving away at part of the beast until he ended up with a cleanly cut scorpion stinger.

Ignis looked away, he never enjoyed dealing with large amounts of blood, it tended to reminded him of some rather unpleasant memories. Instead he concentrated on Prompto and Noctis, who were still giddy over their victory and were currently playfully teasing each other. ''Are you two unharmed?'' The adviser asked as he carefully swept over both young men, looking for any signs of injury or discomfort.

Prompto swung his arm around Noct's shoulder as he twirled around to face Ignis, ''We're good Iggy! Don't worry!'' The gunner grinned happily as he extended his free hand for Ignis to take. Noctis smiled at Prompto, ''He's right Specs, we're fine. Let's leave Gladio to taking the proof for the hunt and start looking for the rest of the reapertails.'' Ignis returned the smiles, taking Prompto's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze as he considered his prince's words.

Ignis turned over to look at Gladio, still working on the corpses, before he hesitantly nodded, ''That seems like a good idea. Gladio?'' Gladio raised a hand and waved at them, ''As long as you stay close by, shouldn't be a problem.'' The Shield told them before returning to his work.

''Don't take too long Big Guy! Otherwise you'll miss out on seeing us kick ass!'' Prompto shouted with a giggle, he had his camera out once more, fiddling with it before taking a picture of Gladio. Noctis peeked over his shoulder, ''That's a good one, you should save it.'' The prince clasping Prompto's shoulder and pushing him forward to follow after Ignis, the adviser a few meters ahead and waiting for them.

The rest of the hunt took a lot longer than any of the group expected, the last of the reapertails hidden from sight for the longest time until finally, just as night started to fall Prompto spotted them retreating into a pile of boulders. ''Guys! I think I found them but they're hiding for the night.'' He pointed them out to Ignis who had come to stand right beside him.

Ignis sighed, readjusting his glasses with a thoughtful hum before nodding, his mind made up. ''It would appear so and I believe they have the right idea. Night is falling and we do not wish to be at the mercy of any wandering daemon. Gladio, do you know if there is a haven nearby?'' The adviser turning to Gladio as he spoke.

Gladio responded with a nod, taking the time to look around and get his bearing before starting in a specific direction, ''There should be one this way, Lady Lunafreya has been letting me know which haven's she's reset whenever she leaves the city.'' He could only barely see the curling blue smoke that indicated the haven's position to anyone who knew about it.

Noctis groaned, ''Camping? Seriously?'' as he followed after his Shield with tired and slightly sore legs. Prompto smirked, ''Come on Noct! It's going to be fun, we'll even get to eat Iggy's food tonight.'' His camera flashed twice, once towards the grumpy prince and the second time towards Gladio's back, his figure surrounded by the sunset and slowly appearing stars.

Ignis chuckled as he followed their guide, ''Is there any specific request for supper then darlings?'' Ignis going through his mental list of ingredients he had on hand within the ever useful Armiger. Noct mumbled, ''No veggies.'' Even as Prompto suggested, ''Can we eat some curry? Please Iggy?'' and Gladio spoke up from in front, ''I say cup noodles.''

Ignis glared at Gladio's broad back with a huff of indignation, ''Certainly not Gladio! Cup noodles are not a proper meal, curry on the other hand sounds like a good idea.'' He ignored the amused glance that passed between Noctis and Gladio as he found himself buried in a hug from Prompto. ''Have I told you you're the best Iggy? Because you are and I love you.'' Ignis smiled and returned the hug, allowing Prompto to keep a grasp on his hand as the finally arrived at the haven and started making camp.

As the four friends and lovers enjoyed each other's presence among the cold and brisk night, a phone rang with a familiar tune and Noctis was quick to answer, ''Luna?'' The prince grinned as he heard a reply, ''Hello Noctis, how are you faring outside of Insomnia?'' Noctis scurried back into his seat, leaning into the warmth that was Gladio beside him, ''Fine and you? I hope the Nifs aren't giving you anymore trouble.'' He heard Luna laugh from the other end of the call, ''Not anymore Noctis, Nyx and Crowe have done a wonderful job at keeping them away from me these last few days.''

Prompto perked up, leaning over on Noct's other side, ''Hey Lulu! How is the healing tour going?'' he practically shouted into the phone in his excitement. Luna laughed again, ''I see Prompto is with you, could you tell him I'm fine? Actually you might as well give my regards to everyone as well.'' Noct winced slightly as Prompto shouted right beside his ear but did as Luna asked, ''Luna says hi and that she's doing fine.''

Ignis smiled from across the fireplace, ''I'm glad to hear she is doing well, please convey my regards to her and her guards as well.'' The man smiled at Noctis. Gladio grinned, ''She should be, she's got Ulric, Altiuss and Khara with her. Someone would have to be pretty stupid to try anything with them around.'' He took another bite of his supper.

Noctis rolled his eyes at everyone replies before going back to talking with Luna, ''They say hi. We're staying at a haven for the night, the Regalia needed some repairs and now we need more funds. What a way to start a trip right?'' Luna hummed in reply, ''I'm glad you are safe within a haven at least, the nights are fraught with dangerous daemons. Though Nyx and Crowe seem bent on proving me wrong on that account, they seem to have an ongoing bet on who can take down daemons the fastest. I've won quite a few times so far.''

Noctis laughed as he heard the familiar voices of Nyx and Crowe shouting in the background of Luna's voice, he could barely make out 'cheating' and 'not fair' before Luna spoke once more, ''I must go Noctis, our Niflheim host seem determined to get me to meet and possibly marry his son. Do be careful out there and the same goes for the others.'' Noctis wasn't able to reply before Luna hung up.

Noct lowered his phone, starring at it for a little while in silence before he lifted his gaze back with a hesitant smile. ''She seems to be ok.'' He huffed as he remembered the few words he had heard from his glaive friends, '' She is certainly winning a lot of money from bets against Crowe and Nyx, something about who can beat daemons faster.'' Gladio chuckled, ''Figures, she always does manage to find some prank or game to play. '' He glanced over at Prompto, '' I swear your mom is such a bad influence.'' Prompto shot back, ''Hey!'' before they both fell into an ongoing playful teasing to the adoring and affectionate looks of both Noctis and Ignis.

A/N: Quick question, do you guys prefer this chapter's style of shorter paragraphs or the previous chapter's of longer ones?

Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing this fic!


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning found the four men finishing off their hunt with ease. Prompto and Noctis serving as initial strike to separate and weaken the last group of Reapertails before Ignis and Gladio waded in to finish off their attack with their lance and sword. Noctis raised his hand to fist bump Prompto as they enjoyed the sight of their boyfriends kicking ass and taking down the last of their targets when he felt his phone vibrate.

Noct hummed in confusion as he grabbed it out of his pocket and answered, ignoring the confused look on Prompto's face, ''Hello?'' The voice that replied to him was cheerful if a bit tinged with worry, ''Hey, it's Cindy! How goes the hunting?'' Noctis relaxed at Cindy's voice.

''Actually we just finished. We should be back in Hammerhead soon.'' Noctis looked over to see Ignis and Gladio approaching, having finished the reapertails and collecting the necessary proof of their defeat. ''That's great 'cause I got one more hunt for y'all… Only this time, it's for a person. Fella named Dave went off two days ago and we aint heard from him since. Reckon he stacked out a spot in one of the old shacks around the region. Think you can find him for us?'' Cindy sounded worried as she explained her request.

Noctis frowned, looking around until he finally spotted one of the shacks Cindy had just mentioned. ''Old shack? Got it, we'll take a look and let you know if we find anything.'' He hung up soon after, turning to look at his friends. Prompto had an eager puppy look in his eyes as he almost demanded, ''So what did Cindy say?''

Noct grinned, Prompto looked adorable excited like that and obviously he wasn't the only one who thought that as Noct noticed Ignis blushing slightly while readjusting his glasses and Gladio smiling behind their gunner. ''Cindy needs us to find some Dave guy.'' Noct turned to face the old shack he had spotted.

Gladio frowned, ''He went missing?'' The name was somehow familiar to him even if he couldn't pin point why exactly but any disappearance could mean trouble. Noct half nodded, ''Kinda, left 2 days ago and they haven't heard from him since but Cindy said he might be in one of the old shacks in the region.'' Noctis pointed over at the old crumbling building a few hundred meters from them.

Ignis nodded, ''Well then, we'd best go and check if we can find him. Lead the way Noct.'' Ignis fell in step behind the prince and beside Prompto, who had his camera back out and pointing at Noct's back. ''Enjoying the view?'' Ignis teased gently, enjoying the blush that followed his comment.

Prompto ducked his head then glancing out of the corner of his eye replied, ''Like you aren't as well.'' He lifted his camera back up and took a picture of Noctis walking towards the old building, the contrast of his presence against the broken wood making for the perfect photo op. Not wanting the rest of his lovers feel left out, he turned around and started walking backwards. Fiddling with his settings until he was satisfied with what he saw and he snapped 2 pictures in quick succession, one of Ignis looking tenderly at the camera and one of Gladio smirking at him.

Noct walked into the broken down shack, a quick look around telling him that this Dave wasn't there. ''No one.'' He sighed, looking around with some annoyance, maybe he could find some clue as to where this missing man had gone to. A make-shift table in the corner of the shack drew his attention and Noctis moved over to it.

He found a few sheets of paper spread across it and leaned closer to read from it. '' Mutant Dualhorn Sighting. A hunt request? Or just a warning?'' he muttered mostly to himself, '' Code named Bloodhorn; identified by the following characteristic: Red tusks, extremely violent behaviors. Extra bounty offered on top of current outstanding bounty on sabertusks.'' A sudden shout from behind him has Noct turning towards the entrance.

''Noct! Get outta here!'' Shouted Prompto as a sabertusk suddenly ran past Gladio and Ignis, heading straight for Noctis. He brought out his gun, feeling the familiar weight of it appearing in his hand, before aiming it at the pouncing beast. A single shot sent it flying off Noctis and Prompto turned to shot at the one biting ferociously at Gladio's sword. ''You okay?'' He asked, helping Noctis, who was nodding, up.

Ignis entered the shack right behind Noct and was inspecting one of the abandoned machines when the sabertusks attacked them. Ignis heard Prompto's warning but wasn't able to get to Noct in time as he was forced to duck under a beast, his daggers appearing in hand and he drove them upwards into the belly of the sabertusk. He heard a few shots from Prompto and a glance confirmed their safety. ''Now we are.'' He said in answer to Prompto's worry only to swear when more of the beasts showed up, ''Spoke too soon!''

Gladio swore as he pushed the corpse of the sabertusk away from him, he could see at least 10 of the fast creatures just at a glance and wouldn't be surprised if there were more just waiting to pounce. ''Careful guys! These ones are faster than the reapertails! Stay on your guard!'' the Shield shouted in warning even as he used his sword to push away two of the sabertusks when they jumped at him.

Noctis grabbed Prompto's hand, pulling himself up with a groan before summoning a weapon and taking aim at the nearest sabertusk. The warp-strike is quick enough to land a hit on the beast but its reflexes saves it from being killed, the lance Noct had in hand buried vertically between two ribs; it was injured but very much alive.

As it proved the very next moment when it twisted and bite Noct's hand, drawing a scream of pain from the prince. He lets the lance disappear to bring out a sword, thrusting the blade into the sabertusk's brain. He saw Prompto take down 2 more sabertusks as Noctis used a potion then ran back into the fight to fight beside Ignis and Gladio, keeping the sabertusks away from their gunner.

Everyone was a bit short of breath by the time Gladio and Noct's link strike cleaved the last sabertusk in two and they quickly checked each other over for injuries. A few of the few cuts and bites were deep enough to require treatment and Noct was all too happy to make potions for his friends to ease their pain. Gladio huffed as he stared at the corpses littered around them, ''I hope that this Dave guy didn't end up on this pack's fangs or claws.'' The reminder of the missing man put a damper on the atmosphere and Prompto was definitively looking a bit green as he stared at the corpses.

Noct lead them out of the shack and unto the dirt road right beside it, ''Anyone see any other shacks?'' Ignis hummed thoughtfully, turning around to look around the area until he spotted the brown shape of another wooden building peeking from behind a distant hill. ''Over there Noct.'' Ignis pointed toward it and followed his prince as he started towards it with a slight, worrisome, limp.

They found another pack of sabertusks prowling around the shack, a few of the beasts occasionally throwing themselves at the closed and presumably locked door. Prompto had his camera out and pointed at the shack by the time they stopped a fair distance from the pack, the photographer adjusted the settings until he was satisfied with what he saw. ''Well, there's definitively someone there I can see them moving but I think they might be injured.''

Ignis looked at the pack roaming around, he counted 5 sabertusks, a thankfully smaller pack then the one who had attacked them in the shack but no less dangerous. ''Then we'd best help them out. Noct, if you could warp to that windmill and wait until Prompto draws their attentions away, Gladio and I will join in once you do.'' The strategist looked around, making sure that all were aware of their role.

Noctis grinned, sharing a nod with Prompto before he warped away to hang on the windmill from his engine sword. The sabertusks seemed to have sensed or maybe smelt his presence as they stopped and turned towards the windmill, growling softly as they started circling at the bottom of it. Noctis swallowed, shooting a glance to where Prompto was standing, taking aim with his gun. A loud gunshot was followed by a yelp of pain and the collapsing body of a sabertusk.

The most of the others turned towards the source of the shot, heading straight towards Prompto who took aim and killed a second one before they reached him, or rather reached Ignis and Gladio who were standing guard over the gunner. Noctis stayed where he was for a moment longer before he looked down, aiming at the lone sabertusk who had not ran off like the others and stuck. He fell for the split second between throwing his sword and warping to it, bringing with him that extra momentum as he swung his sword straight into the sabertusk's spine then ended its misery with a second strike on the back of its neck.

Noctis smirked as he allowed his sword to return to his Armiger, looking over to watch as Ignis, Gladio and Prompto made their way to him. ''That wasn't so bad.'' Noct declared, ''Nice shooting Prom!'' The two boys high fived with matching grins. Ignis nodded his agreement and Gladio patted Prompto's back, ''Yup, you did good.'' Prompto grinned back at the compliments, he was proud of himself too.

They all turned around to look at the shack when a voice rose from within, ''Hey, who's out there?'' The door opened slowly, a scruffy looking man limping into sight and leaning against the doorway with a pained expression. Prompto gasped and moved over to the man quickly, summoning a first aid kit from the Armiger as he scanned the injured man from what might be causing the pain. Gladio followed after him at a slower pace, ''Well look who we got in here, Dave right? Been looking for you.'' He did his own sweep of the man, taking in the dark colored clothes, the weapon sheaths and the dog tags, not to mention the beginning of a tattoo at the edge of his shirt.

Dave leaned heavily against the doorway and nodded, he winced as he shifted. ''Didn't mean to cause y'all any trouble. Been stuck here on account of my sprained ankle.'' He motioned to his leg vaguely, another wince and Prompto was kneeling, a wordless question asked and Dave nodded, letting Prompto lift the cuff of his pants up.

''Somethin' funny 'bout them varmins. I gave 'em hell but couldn't finish the job. Still one mean mutt about. Y'all don't look much like hunters but whaddaya say? Put that puppy to rest for me?'' Dave looked straight at Noctis, guessing correctly that he was the one in charge of the group. Noct hummed thoughtfully, casting a glance at Ignis who gave the slightest nod in return.

Noct nodded, ''Fine by me, we'll do it for you.'' Dave sunk against the door in relief, ''Y'all got guts, that's for sure. I last saw it going west, towards those rocky hills over there. Y'all be careful when you find it. It has quite the temper.'' Ignis took a few steps away from the group in order to see the hills Dave mentioned, nodding to himself as he did.

Prompto had laid his kit on the ground, carefully moving up the leg of Dave's pants so he could get a look at the sprained ankle. He winced in sympathy when he got his first good look at it, all red and inflamed. Careful fingers prodded the area and Prompto noted when Dave winced. It seemed like the man was correct in his assessment, it wasn't broken just strained and Dave had also overstretched his tendon. Nothing a good wrap wouldn't help protect.

Prompto heard Noct accept to finish up what Dave had started and quickly spoke up, ''Wait! Let me wrap this up for him before we leave at least.'' Dave looked down at the blond, ''That ain't necessary, I'll manage now that those varmins ain't around to cause trouble.'' Prompto shook his head, ''Not happening. Sit down or I'll ask Gladio to make you sit. I'm wrapping it before we go, otherwise any walking you do on it is just going to make it worse.''

Gladio grinned, cracking his knuckles, ''Just say the word Prompto.'' He had a look of pure glee in his eyes. Ignis and Noctis shared a look of exasperation before the adviser turned and told the injured hunter, ''You might as well do as he says, it will be better for everyone.'' Dave looked between the four men incredulously but a small tug from Prompto, still kneeling got him to sit down and let him do whatever he had in mind.

Prompto waved goodbye to Dave as he followed his friends away from the shack and towards their new target. ''So… I guess we're going after that mutant Dualhorn?'' Noctis shrugged, ''Looks like it from what Dave said.'' Ignis nodded and looked over to Gladio, ''We'll have to be careful, both Dave and the open hunt request Noct found stated that it had quite the violent tendency. Our best bet will be to make quick work of it.''

It didn't take long to find the Dualhorn, it was simply grazing in between two rock cliffs. Prompto whistled as they saw the mutant beast, drawing glares from everyone else. ''Prompto!'' hissed Noct, Prompto ducking his head and mouthing an apology. Ignis sighed and joined Gladio in front of their younger partners, ''What do you think?'' asked the adviser to the more experienced man.

Gladio glanced over quickly at Ignis before refocusing on their prey, ''I think we can handle it, do the same thing as with the sabertusks except both Prompto and the princess get to fire at it. We'll make sure it doesn't get to them. Stick to your lances, I doubt your daggers will do much against this one.'' Ignis nodded.

Prompto grinned as he listened to Gladio plan out their strategy, turning to Noct with a challenge, ''Bet you I can shoot out its eye on the first try.'' Noctis grinned back, slapping Prompto's back playfully, ''Right. How much?'' Prompto hummed then said, ''You'll have to do whatever I say for a whole day. Deal?'' Noctis frowned for a moment, glancing between Prompto and the Bloodhorn before nodding to himself, ''Deal but if I do manage it then you have to do the same for me.'' They both shook hands then turned to look sheepishly at Ignis and Gladio.

Gladio sighed, calling his sword to him and hefting it over his shoulder with a grunt before motioning for everyone to follow him. The other three followed his lead, bringing out their own weapons, Prompto and Noctis summoned their favorite guns while Ignis brought out his lance. Gladio grinned as he noticed that the Bloodhorn had already noticed their presence, shifting its stance to face them and pawing at the ground.

''Heads up! Noct, Prom stay behind us!'' Gladio dug his feet into the ground, grabbing his sword with two hands as he too faced the soon to be charging beast. He noticed Ignis pushing Noct and Prompto further behind them before joining him at the ready.

Prompto grinned, poking at Noct before bringing his gun to bare, the gunner took several calming and slow breath, his entire being focused on finding his target. Prompto ignored everything else outside of his gun, the feeling of utter calm and emptiness that allowed him to concentrate solely on the small red eye that was moving up and down. Up and down…

The Bloodhorn pawed the ground one last time then with a shriek, started to charge. Gladio verified his stance one last time, bringing his sword up and timed his swing for maximum effect. The single sound of a gunshot sounded from behind him and the Bloodhorn continued its charge forward and straight into Gladio's sword.

The beast made no noise as Gladio's strength caused it to lift and collapse on its side. Ignis brought his lance to up, preparing to fight but the best didn't move at all. Noct stared at the downed Dualhorn then at Prompto, ''Did… Did you just one-shot it?'' Prompto looked just as surprised as Noctis, the gunner staring at the dead beast. Ignis lowered his lance, slowly approaching the Bloodhorn's head and inspected it. ''I believe you are correct Noctis. Prompto shot was clean into his eye and I must assume its brain. Well done!''

Prompto ducked his head, letting his gun disappear then glancing over to Noctis with a playful grin, ''Well I guess that means I win the bet, right?'' Gladio laughed, moving over to slap Prompto's back, ''I think we can agree you did with a shot like that. No way prince Charmless here could have matched that.'' Noctis glared at his shield but nodded his agreement, ''A deal is a deal.'' The prince gave a mocking bow, ''What do you wish for my lord?'' his eyes were playful even as Prompto blushed and stammered.

They only stayed around the area long enough for Gladio to deal with the proof of the hunt before making their way back to Hammerhead and Cindy. She greeted them with a smile and thanks for helping out. With most of their luggage already in the trunk of the Regalia, it wasn't long for Ignis to take the wheel and for everyone to bid goodbye to Cindy.

They only stopped once more before reaching Galdin Quay, a last minute errand for Cindy on their way. Ignis parked the Regalia in the designated spot for long term parking, ''Here we are, Galdin Quay at last! I suggest we go see what the ferry schedule before retiring for the evening.'' He looked at Noctis who was slowly waking up from his nap, the prince having spent most of the remainder of their trip sleeping snuggled against Gladio in the back seat.

Prompto was grinning as he hopped out of the car and stretched stiff muscles, ''Sounds like a plan Iggy.'' He already had his camera in hand and was snapping a few pictures. Ignis frowned, Prompto looked a bit stiff and not due to sore muscles. ''Is everything okay Prompto?'' Ignis asked softly, laying a hand on his arm. Prompto shrugged, ''Just remembering the last time I came here, nothing for you to worry about Ignis, thanks.'' Ignis frowned in worry, only know remembering that Prompto had been attacked while on vacations with his parents here.

While Ignis and Prompto were talking, Noct finally got up reluctantly and was helping Gladio take out their overnight bags from the trunk of the Regalia. Both of them had caught the end of the conversation, Noct pushing Prompto gently as he made his way towards the ferry terminal. ''We're here if you need anything Prom.'' Gladio nodded, bending down to press a soft kiss to Prompto's sun kissed hair, ''We love you and don't you forget it.'' Prompto hummed in pleasure, a smile returning to his face as he followed Noctis.

The outdoor restaurant of Galdin Quay was more or less as Prompto remembered, much smaller than his memories but just as bright and cheerful. Noctis kept an eye on Prompto as they made their way to the ferry terminal; he was surprised when Prompto yanked him to a stop half way to their destination.

Gladio and Ignis had been keeping an eye out for any signs of trouble as they walked through the outdoor restaurant, not that they expected to find any but they were here to protect the prince during the trip. They had spotter only a few people who might have been cause for concern when Prompto suddenly reached out and yanked Noctis back, the blond stepping between the prince and a crimson haired man who was walking towards them.

The unusual action from Prompto spurred Gladio and Ignis to step up and do the same even as the man grinned and spoke to them, ''I'm afraid you're out of luck.'' The man motioned vaguely behind him. Noctis frowned as he shifted to see who was talking, crossing his arms, ''Are we?'' Ignis glanced at Noctis, a warning to be careful that went unheeded. The man smiled, ''The boats bring you here correct?'' He didn't wait for an answer before continuing, ''Well, they'll not take you forth.''

Gladio glared at the man, there was something at the back of his mind, something that screamed to be careful around the stranger and Gladio was going to listen to it. ''And what's your story?'' The Shield asked, still making sure he stood in front of Noct. The crimson haired stranger grinned, ''I'm an impatient traveler, ready to turn ship. Though I must say, the cease-fire is getting us nowhere. '' The man moved forward, ignoring the fact that his way was blocked and forcing the four men to move out of his way.

Gladio kept himself in front of Noctis while Ignis did the same with Prompto, who was suddenly breathing heavily and gripping Ignis' shoulder in a painful grip. The stranger tipped his fedora mockingly as he passed through the group, stopping a few steps beyond them to turn and flick a silver object towards Noctis. Gladio caught it before it got anywhere near his prince. He glanced at it, frowning at the sight of an odd silver coin resting in his palm.

''What's this? Some sort of souvenir?'' Gladio almost growled, staring intently at the stranger. The man grinned back, unconcerned by the anger Gladio was emitting, ''Consider it your allowance.'' The reply simply gave them more questions, which Gladio asked angrily, ''And who's allowing us?'' The stranger smirked, spreading his arms wide and giving a mocking half bow before he answered, ''A man of no consequence.'' The man turned around and left without another word.

Gladio kept an eye on the man until he disappeared out of sight, only turning around when he heard Ignis' worried voice, ''Prompto? Are you ok? Speak to me love, please.'' Gladio glanced back, the man forgotten as he spotted Prompto half collapsed on the floor, leaning heavily against Ignis. Noctis was already kneeling beside his friend, looking just as worried as Ignis. Gladio wanted to join them but someone had to keep an eye on their surroundings especially after what just happened.

Prompto couldn't understand quite what had just happened. One moment he had felt the presence of something that called to his blood, causing him to grab Noctis and pull him away from its source, and the next his body seemed not to belong to him anymore. While Gladio and Noctis had been talking with that crimson haired man, Prompto had been blind and deaf, struggling to even draw breath as his body seized on him, the only thing he had managed to do was grab someone by the shoulder as a way of grounding himself in an effort to prevent complete panic from setting in. Prompto had collapsed as soon as control returned to his body.

Ignis crooned softly, a hand rubbing gentle circles against his back, ''Deep breath Prompto, that's it. You're safe.'' The words repeating like a mantra until Prompto was able straighten by himself, settling on his heels before he spoke, ''Sorry Iggy, I don't know what happened…'' He shivered at the memory of his body not responding to him, his arms wrapping around himself. Noct was quick to pick up on that, wordlessly offering a hug, which Prompto accepted with relief.

Ignis looked up at Gladio, ''Perhaps Prompto should rest for now. Gladio if you could help Prompto up, I'll go secure us some rooms and send Noctis with the keys.'' Gladio frowned, ''What about you?'' He bent down to gently gather the shaking blond into his arms, tucking Prompto firmly against him. Ignis got up, ''I shall go see whether our esteemed guest was correct. I shall meet you back in our rooms afterwards.'' Gladio hesitated for a moment, not comfortable with the idea of separating after the unusual encounter but a glance at Prompto was enough to convince him to trust the adviser.

Ignis pushed Prompto's hair out of his eyes, worry evident in his movement, before he motioned for Noctis to follow him. Ignis didn't think about the price of a room at the resort, the king had offered to pay for their lodgings when needed and right now it was sorely needed. The adviser sent Noctis out to return to their lovers before making his way back to the ferry terminal, he wanted to find out what their mysterious stranger had meant and then return as quickly as possible to take care of Prompto.

Ignis frowned as he walked passed whispering groups; the few words of their conversations he could catch hinted that perhaps there had been some truth in the man's word after all. The ferry terminal was mostly empty except for a single man sitting by the display board. ''Word is, Niflheim's forbidden all ferries from leaving Altissa.'' The man said suddenly, drawing Ignis' attention.

Ignis looked over to him, ''Is that so? Any news as too when the ferries will be allowed back?'' Ignis made himself sound unconcerned about the subject. The notice up on the board had little information, only that all future ferries were canceled until further notice. The man grinned, looking over at Ignis with an all too knowing glint, ''Worried the prince will be late to his own wedding?'' Ignis gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to show any emotions, ''Why would such a thing be of concern to me?''

The man laughed, turning his gaze away from Ignis and towards the waters in front of him, ''Well, should it ever become your concern just let me know. I might be able to help… for a price.'' Ignis looked at the man from the corner of his eyes, muttered ''Unlikely.'' And walked away. He headed straight for their room, mind churning the information but finding very little to work with as it did.

Ignis knocked once before using his key to enter the room, finding Prompto snuggling between Gladio and Noctis on one of the beds. He offered them a smile as they looked up at him, locking the door behind him before moving to sit at their feet. ''How are you feeling Prompto?'' The blond hummed sleepily, ''Better, just tired.''

Ignis nodded, relieved that whatever had happened seemed to have passed without further complication. Gladio shifted, moving Prompto gently so he could sit up on the bed, ''What about you? Did you check the ferries?'' Ignis nodded, his smile disappearing, ''I did and our mysterious friend was correct. I would appear the ferries have been canceled for an undetermined amount of time.'' Noctis was rubbing Prompto's back soothingly, listening to his friends talk, ''Then we'll just have to stay here until they come back.'' There was a hint of relief present in his voice as he spoke.

Ignis and Gladio shared a look, another unspoken conversation happening between them before an agreement was made. ''I see no problems with that but only until the Treaty has been signed. We do have a wedding to attend afterwards.'' Declared Ignis as he rose from the bed with one last lingering look at his intertwined lovers. Gladio snagged his hand for a brief, chaste kiss before Ignis disappeared into the bathroom.

The next few days were spent in quiet tranquility, each of the men enjoying their hobbies during the days and each other at night. Whatever had caused Prompto to collapse on their arrival was quickly forgotten as he took plenty of pictures of the area while Noctis fished in the clear waters surrounding the resort. None of them were keen on disappearing from each other's sight and were always close by.

Noctis smiled contend as he woke up with a yawn, hand reaching out to find the bed empty as usual but he could still feel the warmth that lingered from the sheets. Prompto chuckled, moving to kiss his sleepy boyfriend, ''Morning sleepy head. Ignis went to grab breakfast for us.'' Noctis grinned, waiting until Prompto was leaning over him before grabbing him and turning him onto the bed, straddling his lover with a wicked yet playful grin.

Gladio smiled at their playful antics, looking out through the large windows at the peaceful scenery and wishing they could stay here forever. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and Gladio turned to stare as Ignis entered, empty handed except for a newspaper. ''What is it?'' The Shield asked, moving to stand beside Ignis and glancing at the newspaper with worry. The bold title hit Gladio like a gunshot, forcing all the breath out of his body as he tried to make sense of what it said. Noctis and Prompto looking over to their older companions with worry, Noct asking Ignis, ''What is it? What happened?''

Ignis drew a shaking breath before he responded, ''It's in all the newspapers, I don't know how it could be.'' He stopped, unsure on how to continue. Prompto got up, walking over quickly to grab the paper out of Ignis' hands and reading the title out loud, ''Insomnia has fallen?'' Noctis rose up, shocked, ''What?'' He moved to snatch the paper to see for himself but Prompto was right. Printed in bold black on white, the last thing he had expected to happen when he had left for the trip had become a reality.

Insomnia has Fallen.

A/N: And now we start the real divergence from the game :) Hope you're all ready for it.


	4. Chapter 4

Noctis stumbled back a few steps as he stared at the words on the paper, ''It can't be…'' Noct shook his head in denial of what he was reading. Ignis was by his side quickly, a hand on his arm and an arm around his shoulders, ''Noct, breathe.'' Ignis plucked the paper from trembling hands and gently guided Noct to sit in one of the chairs.

Gladio was on the phone after dialing his dad, swearing under his breath as he listened to the constant tone of an occupied line. He hung up and dialed Iris' phone but didn't get an answer. The same happened every time he tried to contact anyone who lived in Insomnia. After several minutes of useless trying he gave up, turning to look at the others. ''I can't get through to anyone.'' His tone was dark and worried.

Prompto had tried contacting his parents then his uncle but just like Gladio, he kept getting an occupied dial tone. He closed his eyes, muttering a prayer to the Six for the safety of everyone in Insomnia, in particular his family and friends. Prompto turned to look at Ignis, who was hiding his own worry behind his worry of Noctis, then to Gladio, ''What should we do now?''

The question hung unanswered for a while until Ignis glanced down at Noctis and decided, ''We need to leave for now. People are aware of who we are and if Niflheim has indeed taken Insomnia then our priority is to ensure Noct's safety.'' Gladio and Prompto nodded, and then shared a concerned look toward the unresponsive prince.

''Prom, help me start packing. Iggy you stay with Noct okay? We'll get things ready to leave.'' Gladio ordered, he didn't wait for an answer before starting to pack their things. Prompto was quick to help him, tossing their clothes and belongings to Gladio, who then stuffed them into the bags. Ignis glared at them, struggling not to go and redo the bags properly but he forced himself to remain by Noctis' side. He could clean up their bags properly once they are safe. For now, Noctis was their priority above all else.

Once the room was clean of their belongings, Prompto and Gladio split up the bags and waited for Ignis to coax Noctis into getting up and following them out of the room. They headed straight for the Regalia, Ignis keeping Noctis hiding as much as possible as they walked through the crowds of people, all of them crowding in front of the television as the reporter talked about Insomnia. The three Crownguards sighed in relief when they arrived at the luxurious car unhindered.

Ignis guided Noctis into the back of the car, keeping an eye on Gladio and Prompto as they put their things in the trunk. Gladio moved to sit beside Noctis, drawing the young prince into his arms; Noct had started to shiver between the time Ignis had left him alone and Gladio sat down beside him. Prompto returned to the resort to let the staff know they were leaving and soon returned to the car. Ignis wasted no time in leaving the resort.

As they drove off, a light rain started falling and with it a fog rose from the ground. The weather seemed to match itself to Noct's mood, whose mind was stuck in a loop of denial. _It can't be…Dad! …This can't be happening…_ Noctis shudders in Gladio's arms, his hands grabbing unto Gladio's shirt as he starts crying against his Shield.

Gladio grits his teeth in anger against the people responsible for making his beloved, his prince, cry, wrapping Noctis into a tight hug before looking over to see Prompto looking at them. He can tell by the way Ignis' shoulders tense up that he too is aware of Noctis' state. Gladio tightened his grip on Noctis, he could ignore his own worry, his own fears right now to be the rock that Noct needed.

Prompto forced himself to look away from the back bench, turning to Ignis and asking, ''Where are we going?''Ignis allowed himself a single glance to his blond lover before concentrating on driving. He had just been asking himself the same thing. If Insomnia had indeed been taken by Niflheim then they must assume that everyone they knew was either dead or prisoners of war.

It also meant that Ignis could not risk using any of the safe houses the Marshall or Ravus had created for their men over the years, they had no way of knowing which, if any, of them were still safe from Niflheim. That meant that Ignis had to find a safe place that no one, not even the Marshall, would be able to figure out and Ignis was unable to find such a place. A glance in the rear mirror showed him Noctis crying while being held by Gladio, the image had him gripping the steering wheel harder.

Prompto reached out and laid a hand on Ignis' tight, ''It's going to be alright.'' Prompto said softly but with determination, the words weren't aimed solely at Ignis but rather at all of them. Prompto was worried about what had happened in Insomnia, about his family and the friends they had left behind but he also realized that there was nothing they could do right this moment. They had no information other than the few bits and pieces he had been able to find on the newspapers and the radio but none of them held details of what had happened for the moment.

Prompto left his hand there for a few moments before taking it off and returning his attention to his phone. He quickly checked all of the major news networks but there was nothing new, Prompto turned the information he did have in his mind. It wasn't much; no one had noticed anything unusual happening in the Citadel until the next morning when they found MTs patrolling the streets and the flag of Niflheim replacing the Lucian ones all over the Citadel.

Prompto pulled up his contact list on his phone, scrolling down to the only unnamed contact and stares at it for a while. He shots a look at the back seat, Gladio was whispering to Noctis softly, than at Ignis before clicking on the number and bringing his phone up. He takes a deep breath as the number rings, preparing himself for what came next.

''Welcome to the Seventh Star, how may we help you?'' The voice speaks as soon as they pick up and Prompto releases a tense breath before he answers, ''How long would it take to create Savant's wine?'' He ignores the confused glance that Ignis, and no doubt Gladio, sends him to take another deep breath slowly. There is silence on the line and for a few tense moments Prompto thinks he messed something.

''Savant's Wine hasn't been made for a long time, who's asking?'' The voice is hard now, suspicious and PRompto knows he only has one chance to get this right before they hang up. ''His son. We've been in Insomnia ever since the last batch.'' Prompto can hear swearing from someone else then a new voice declares, ''Make your way to Three Z Motel. There is a reservation under the name of Senza Nome, its yours. Call from the room phone.'' The call ends before Prompto can say anything and he lowers the phone with a sigh of relief.

Ignis is keeping an eye on Prompto and sharing looks of concern with Gladio, both of them have no idea what their blond lover is doing and the one-sided conversation they hear has no meaning to them. Ignis waits for Prompto to lower the phone before he speaks, ''Prompto?'' The man in question turns to look at him, giving Ignis a smile.

''We need to go to the Three Z Motel. Do you know where that is?'' Prompto says instead of explaining. Ignis frowns, shifting through his memories for the location of such a place, '' I Believe I do. It's in Longwyth Peaks.'' Ignis starts mapping out the best and safest way to reach the Motel in question, Prompto would not ask such a thing without good reason even if Ignis wished the young man would explain.

He obviously wasn't the only one because Gladio spoke up, ''Prompto! What the hell was that all about?'' Prompto curls his hands into fists, ''It's Dad's old handler…. From before he met Mom.'' Ignis feel some of the worry return at the words, Gladio staring at the back of Prompto's head in disbelief. ''From his time as Accordo's best assassin you mean?'' Ignis states more than anything, a confirmation of his memories.

Prompto nods wordlessly, ''He told me about this before we left. In case we ever needed a safe place to hide.'' Ignis frowns, ''If your father knows it then it might not be safe despite his best intentions.'' Prompto is quick to reply, '' He doesn't know… Or at least Dad doesn't know the location of the safe house.'' Prompto sees the confusion and wariness in Gladio and Ignis and goes on to clarify, ''The way Dad set this up was a double blind safe net. Dad only know that his old handler keeps a safe house ready for him but Dad never looked at the phone number that that person sent with the information. He doesn't know the coded reply. So even if Dad ends up talking, it's impossible for him to say anything about this place.''

The explanation seems to satisfy both Crownguards and Ignis takes the next turn towards the small town in Leide. It takes less than an hour before they arrive at the motel, Prompto getting out and heading straight for the front desk. ''Hi I'm Senza Nome, I have a reservation?'' The man at the desk doesn't even look at Prompto, confirming the name in the book in front of him and hands Prompto a set of keys with a mumbled, ''Room 10, you can park your car in the back. I was told to call back from the phone in the room once we got there by Dad's old handler.'' Prompto nods and quickly returns to the Regalia.

Ignis goes to the back on the motel, finding a parking spot under an awning that would hide the car from overhead gazes. They make their way to their room, Gladio guiding Noctis while Prompto and Ignis deal with their things. The room is sparse, holding nothing more than the basics necessities for the guests but it's enough for the moment. Its only midday but everyone is exhausted and happy to be somewhere other than the car.

Noct settles on the nearest bed, sitting on the edge of it and watching everyone else moving around him. He feels disconnected with what is happening around him, words and sensations reaching him slowly as though through molasses. He looks down at his hands, closing them into fists. _What am I doing?_ Noctis closes his eyes tightly, he had to do something! The prince gritted his teeth, forced himself to take a deep breath and pushed away his emotions as much as he could.

When Noct re-opened his eyes, he felt less tense and could think more clearly. First thing he needed to figure out was what had happened during the Treaty and so he took out his phone and pulled up one of the major news networks and checked what they were saying. He frowned as he read what was written, went to check another network then another then another until he had gone through almost all the news networks he knew to be somewhat trust worthy. All had the same information with only a few diverging details, Noctis sighed when he saw no news about his father or Ravus then gasped.

Noctis swore as he stared at the newly updated front page of Insomnia's Sun, one of the biggest news networks of the Crown City. He ignored Ignis' worried questions to concentrate on reading the article.

 **Niflheim gives Official Statement**

 _An official of Niflheim's army, now occupying the Crown City of Insomnia, gave a brief statement to several reporters. A transcript has been added below but the main points of the statements are as follows. Foremost is the official announcement of the death of King Regis and Prince Noctis, both bodies were found by Niflheim as of early this morning. The whereabouts of the Oracle or her esteemed brother have yet to be announced but both have been confirmed as being alive by Niflheim. We will update this story as more details are made available._

Noctis stares at article until he feels someone take his phone out of his hand, he looks up to meet Prompto's understand look and for the second time that day, Noctis breaks apart. It doesn't take long for their small group to find themselves pilled unto the bed, surrounding Noctis with their presence and warmth as they held their prince through his grief.

Ignis had been quick to find the article Noctis had been reading, showing it to Gladio as they joined Prompto on the bed with Noctis. The Shield had understood what the death of King Regis meant, his own father would not have allowed any harm to come to the king unless he himself was also dead and Gladio joined Noctis in his mourning, allowing his own tears to fall with Noctis'.

They stayed wound together for a long time even after their tears had dried up, all of them seeking comfort with each other until Gladio's stomach started to grumble loudly, drawing a series of chuckle from the other three. Ignis gently pried himself from the pile, ''I supposed we should see to having some food before deciding what to do from now on. I believe there was a Crow's Nest close by, shall it be satisfactory?'' Noctis wiped the last traces of his tears off his face as he sat up, ''Let's all go out and eat together.''

Ignis frowned a bit, ''Are you certain Noct?'' The nod was firm and Noctis got up to prove his point. He still felt tired and drained emotionally but his sadness was slowly transforming into anger and determination. Niflheim would pay for what they did and the only way to do that was to learn what he could before making a decision. Prompto and Gladio were quick to follow after their lovers, getting up to grab their boots before all of them left their room.

Prompto hesitated at the door, looking back at the phone tucked in the corner of their room. Maybe he should call before they left? ''We can call once we have eaten. It's not going anywhere.'' Gladio told Prompto, reaching out to grab his hand and tug him away from the room. The Crow's Nest was empty as they walked in, the radio was playing some song and the lady behind the counter greets them warmly. They all order quickly enough, waiting for their food to arrive before going to sit at a tucked away table to eat.

All through the meal, they stay silent, listening as the radio starts on the hourly news report. Noctis winces visibly as the radio repeats the news about Insomnia being held by Niflheim forces and the death of the royal family within its Citadel. He waves away the looks of concern from the others, concentrating on his food even if it tastes bland to him at that moment.

They don't stay long, leaving as soon as they were done eating and heading back to the motel through the fog and rain still present. As Noctis walks in after Gladio, he see his phone blinking from where it still laid on the floor, forgotten until now. ''What the..?'' Noctis swore as he practically dove to get to it, on the screen is the notification of a missed call and Noct doesn't waste any time pressing the redial button.

He hears a ringtone go off once, twice before a familiar voice speaks with relief, ''Prince Noctis.'' Noctis ducks his head and chokes out, ''Cor! Where are you? Are you okay? What happened?'' He sees Prompto jump at the sound of his Uncle's name and hurries over to kneel by Noct. Cor stays silent for a long time before answering Noctis, ''I can't tell you anything on the phone, it's too dangerous. Can you meet me at Hammerhead?''

Noctis looks up to Ignis before he answers, ''Yes, we aren't far from Hammerhead. '' He sees Ignis nod then hears Cor sigh, ''Good, I'll be waiting. Be careful, the road is full of Niflheim airships and patrols.'' Noct nods, ''We will. See you soon.'' And he hangs up before getting back up with some help from Prompto. ''Cor is waiting for us in Hammerhead.'' Ignis grins, ''Then let's not keep the Marshal waiting.'' They pile into the Regalia, Prompto double checking the lock on the door before they head off towards Hammerhead, they were only an hour or so out.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: This turned out very ex-positional but it was needed.

It takes them less than an hour to reach Hammerhead, the drive filled with nervous silence from all sides. Ignis drives straight to where he can see Cindy apparently waiting for them. The mechanic is quick to greet them as they get out of the Regalia, Cindy rushing over with relief, ''Glad y'all could make it. You boys hanging in there?'' She glances from one to the other, searching their expression with worry.

Noctis had a sad smile on his face, ''For now, where's Cor?'' The prince looked around but he couldn't see the Marshal around and from the way Prompto was acting, neither could his friend. Cindy shifted, nodding before she spoke to them softly, ''He's not here anymore. He talked with Paw-Paw for a bit then got a call and left. You'd best ask him where.'' Noctis nods, ''Thanks Cindy.''

Noct head over to the garage and sees Cid sitting down on one of the benches looking down at a photograph, ''Cid?'' Noct calls out as he walks closer. The old mechanic lifts his head and the guys notice the tears running down his cheeks. Cid is quick to wipe them away as he hides the picture out of sight and turns to meet them.

''Cor said you'd show up. How you holding up boys?'' Cid settles back on the bench, facing them with worried eyes. Noct come to stand in front of him, ''We'll live and make Niflheim pay, you?'' Cid waved away the concern, not meeting the prince's gaze. ''Cor told me what happened last night, he wanted to stay but something happened at the outpost, he has the Crownguards who escaped hiding there, and he had to go. I'll tell you what he told me.'' Cid looked around to the other boys before leaning forward and speaking.

''Niflheim were after the Crystal and the Ring like always, the Treaty was just a pretext to get inside the Wall. They had airships waiting for the moment the Wall fell and Insomnia never stood a chance.'' Noct gritted his teeth and looked at the floor as he listened to his dad's old friend talk. ''Cor wasn't with Reggie when it happened, he was patrolling when he got attacked by Glauca. Cor told me he got stuck fighting against the general, even as explosions racked the Citadel. ''

''By the time he got Glauca out of the way, it was too late and the Citadel was surrounded by the MTs. Cor and what was left of the Crownguards were barely able to fight their way out of the Citadel and into the city proper. Cor tried to get as many people out as he could but the streets were filled with even more MTs and Nif soldiers. He said he managed to send word to the Guards that weren't on duty to stay hidden but doesn't know what happened with them.'' Cid finally looked up, straight at Noctis.

''Sorry Prince Noctis but Cor said he confirmed your dad's death before he left, the Glaives lost all their magic and so did he. Didn't want to leave if there was a chance of saving him.'' Noct closed his eyes tightly, the words confirming what he had expected from the news of the morning but it still hurt, to have that last shred of hope be torn away like that.

Noct felt Ignis and Prompto reach out to him, their hands on his shoulders as a show of support and Noct draws that in until he opens his eyes. ''Thank you Cid.'' He whispers softly. Ignis squeezes his shoulder and speaks up, ''His Majesty must have suspected such an outcome, sending us out beforehand.'' Cid nods, reaching out to grab a wrench from the nearby table, ''Reggie wasn't born yesterday. Lucis got dealt a bad hand and your old man played it the best he could. He saw this comin' a mile away and he wasn't gonna go down without a fight. In the end though… guess it just wasn't enough…'' Cid placed the wrench back and got up slowly.

The mechanic looked at the four young men standing in front of him and sighed, they had a long road ahead of them. ''You need something else, you'd best talk with Cor. He's set up the Crownguards just past the old Prairie Outpost. Careful though, Niflheim's blocked off the roads around here.'' With a sad shake of his head, Cid left them alone among the tools of his garage until they were ready to go.

Noct turned around to look at his friends, Ignis had his adviser's mask on, something he only did when he wanted or had to distance himself from his emotions. Gladio was scowling, looking towards the general direction of his home and Prompto was shifting uneasily from one foot to the next. It was him that spoke, ''Do you..Do you think Luna is ok?'' Noct flinched; he had been trying not to think about her since the announcement from Niflheim earlier.

''Niflheim has no reason for trying to harm the Oracle and she was with Nyx, Libertus and Crowe. They will not allow her to come to harm.'' Answered Ignis, Prompto nodded half-heartedly. Ignis' word did little to reassure them considering the current situation. Noct sighed, ''We should head out to meet Cor, maybe he'll be able to tell us more.'' Noct waited until he got some sign of agreement from the others before moving, passing by Cid as they left without further words.

The Outpost Cid had told them about was north of Hammerhead, Noctis remembered his dad telling him about the royal tombs that could be found there. If Prompto's dad was to be believed, the region was used by smugglers as well and held many ways in and out of Insomnia without being seen. Considering how close Cor and Lance had become since they first met, Noctis had an idea why the Marshal would have the remains of the Crownguards stationed there.

Their arrival at the outpost went mostly unnoticed, Noctis walking straight towards the first familiar face he could spot. ''Monica!'' he called out as he neared the Guard in question. She turned around, a wide smile of relief, ''Your Highness! I'm glad to see you safe.'' Noctis stopped in front of her, looking around the small outpost. If all that remained of the Crownguards that served his father and Lucis was here then out of the thousands of men and woman who had dedicated their lives to the Crown, a mere hundred had made their way out of Insomnia.

A hundred men stood no chance against the might of Niflheim's army, Noctis realized that truth quickly enough as he searched for the Marshall among them. ''Where is Cor?'' Noct asked Monica, she pointed wordlessly to a commotion at the edge closest to the Trench. ''Got it, thanks Monica.'' Noct didn't waste time heading straight towards it, followed silently by the others.

As the four guys moved towards the commotion they began to see what it was; a long line of people, civilians from the looks of it, were streaming out from what Noctis could only presume to be one of the smuggling route out of the city that arrived here. ''Dad! Uncle!'' Prompto shouted before running ahead straight for Lance and Cor, who stood at the edge of the living stream, helping to direct the flow of people moving around. They both turned at the shout and Lance was quick to move to hug Prompto.

''Thank the Six, you're safe Prompto.'' Lance whispered as he hugged his son close, a hug that Prompto returned eagerly. They stood embracing for several seconds before Lance pushed him away slightly, the father's gaze searching for any sign of injury on his son and sighing in relief when he found none. Prompto did the same, frowning as he saw the ripped and bloody clothes his father wore then Prompto asked, ''And Mom?'' Lance tensed up, gritting his teeth before shaking his head sadly, ''I'm sorry Prompto… She was at the infirmary when the explosions occurred. It was one of the first places to be destroyed.''

Prompto stared at his dad in shock before he stumbled back a few steps, ''Mom…'' Lance reached out to him, bringing him back into a hug. Locked together, both remaining Argentums collapse where they stood and grieved for their loss. Standing around them were the rest of their family, standing in a silent vigil while they grieved.

Noctis came to stand beside Cor, the Marshall bearing his own injuries from the fighting he had done overnight, the most prominent of them being a newly healed cut that spanned from the bottom of his jaw and disappeared beneath bandages wrapped around his chest. His uniform was held together by threads at places but Cor stood just as tall as ever if tense and with an air of sadness hanging around him.

''Your highness.'' Cor greeted softly as Noct came to stand beside him. ''Cor, you look like hell. What's going on?'' Noctis returned to greeting, worry clear as he looked over the almost endless line of people moving around them. Cor motioned towards Lance, still wrapped around Prompto, ''You can thank him for this. Lance apparently managed to get out of the Citadel and into the residential districts before Niflheim gained control of the streets. He spent the night going from one district to another to help people get out if they wanted too. Most of these people spent the night hiding underneath the streets of the city, in some of the smuggling routes. Lance brought them out about half an hour ago.''

Cor looked past the prince, now king, towards the rest of his retinue, ''Ignis, Gladio.'' Both men nodded in return, Ignis seemed to be pondering something and it was rather easy to figure out what. Cor gave the young man a smile, ''Ventus is heading to Lestalum to start procedures to settle all of these people as soon as possible. He's unharmed other than a few scratches from the trip here.'' The tension seemed to drain from Ignis' body and the prince's adviser bowed towards Cor. ''Thank you Marshal.''

Cor nodded back, his eyes lingering on Gladio but there was nothing to say there, Clarus had been an Amicitia, he would have died before allowing the king to come to harm. Gladio met Cor's gaze with his own sad ones for a moment before sliding them to watch as Prompto and his dad started getting up. Ignis moved to help and extended some tissues to both of them. Prompto grabbed one, using it to wipe the last tears away before moving to stand by Noctis.

Noctis reached out to lay a hand on Prompto's arm gently before he looked around the group before coming back to rest on Cor, ''Is there somewhere we can talk? I need to know more about what happened last night, you too Lance. You were in the city longer than Cor.'' Cor nodded, motioning for the others to follow him back to the outpost, ''Monica! Take over with the refugees.'' Monica saluted and headed to where Cor had been standing while the group entered one of the few buildings in the area.

Cor sat down with a barely concealed wince, Noctis sitting right across from him. ''What would you like to know, your hig…majesty.'' Noctis flinched at the new title, ''Cid said you were fighting with Glauca, is he the one who caused those injuries?'' Cor nodded, ''Drautos had gotten a lot stronger but also…unhinged would be the best word. He fought like nothing mattered, not even his life. His injuries also healed almost as fast as I could make them, I only managed to survive thanks to Ravus' help.''

Prompto straightened, ''Ravus? Is he here too?'' Cor shook his head, ''No, he told me to go after the King and that he would deal with Drautos and so I did but… I saw Drautos as I was leaving the Citadel, he was giving out order from the Throne Room. I don't know what happened to Ravus but I do know he isn't dead. Drautos was adamant about taking him alive.''

Ignis frowned, ''Perhaps as a way to control Lady Lunafreya?'' Cor shrugged, ''I don't know about that Ignis, only that the Empire has no intention of killing Ravus at the moment.'' Noctis sighed, rubbing his face with a hand, ''How did the Citadel fall? None of the reports mentioned the damage done to the city.'' Cor shifted uneasily and Lance ended up being the one who answered for the Marshall, ''I believe I can answer that better than Cor.'' Lance looked up to the prince.

''I am unsure as to the exact method which Niflheim used but the Kingsglaive and Crownguards that were at the evening banquet were the ones who opened the Wall and the Citadel itself to the Niflheim forces.'' Noctis looked up, surprised, ''Traitors?'' If that was the case then they would have to be even more careful while trying to retake the city.

Lance shook his head, ''No, not willing ones at least.'' Gladio frowned, ''Willing ones… Are you talking about the incident from when General Glauca was in Insomnia as peace envoy?'' Gladio ignored the look of confusion Ignis, Prompto and Noct sent his way while Lance nodded. ''Exactly. A year ago, in the middle of the day, a glaive was infected with a new scourge types which lead him to attack the people within the training halls at the Kingsglaive headquarters. The cure was able to partially treat the man but the new scourge seemed to attach itself to the brain stem of its host and takes over all functions without changing the outward appearance of its host.'' Lance explained to the three confused men.

Ignis hummed thoughtfully, ''Then this new scourge would have allowed Niflheim to control those infected as they already do with the MTs and other daemons.'' Lance nodded his agreement to the explanation, ''Exactly.'' Gladio swore, ''Then they're pretty much hostages!'' The Shield gritted his teeth, such a tactic might be efficient as proven by the fall of the Citadel so quickly but it also left a bad taste in his mouth.

Prompto hummed, ''No, they shouldn't be. Didn't mom say that that type was a one-time thing only? I think she said that because of its new ability, it had a very limited life span and then the host couldn't be infected a second time?'' Prompto tilted his head as he thought hard about that specific conversation, well really more of a one-sided conversation from his mom who needed to vent about the stupidity of Niflheim researchers. Everyone seemed to perk up at that, Cor mumbling to himself and then nodding, ''It should be easy to check if it's the same. With Lance's help, we can get in and out of the city despite the amount of MTs at the gates.'' He looked over to Lance, who nodded once in agreement.

The Marshal then turned to face his new king and his retinue, ''There is one more thing his Majesty entrusted to me in case things went wrong. Noctis, your father has asked that I deliver his message to you. ' **Go forth and find the power of the Kings, only with them will you find the path to your destiny**.' There is also the matter of the Crystal, it was taken by Niflheim during the night. You must retrieve it.'' Noctis nodded understanding, ''Got it Cor. I'll leave keeping an eye on the situation in the city to you and Lance then. Help as many as you can and let me know what you find. I'll head to find the Royal Tombs just like dad wanted then come back. We retake the city before going after the Crystal.''

Cor rose from where he was and bowed to Noctis, ''It will be done, your Majesty but please allow me to accompany you to the first Royal Tomb. It's not far from here.'' Lance chuckled and rose as well, ''I can handle things here until you're done with the first tomb.'' Lance turned to look at Prompto, ''Be careful Prompto, I lost Sylva already. I couldn't stand losing you too.'' Prompto nodded then rose up to hug his dad. It didn't take long for everyone to head out and get ready. Ignis and Gladio returned to the Regalia to grab some provisions while Prompto and his dad spent a few more minutes talking softly together. Noctis stood by with Cor, talking with some of the refugees and helping others carry there things until at last they all gathered to leave for the Royal Tomb in the nearby trenches.


	6. Chapter 6

Noctis stopped once they were out of sight from the growing refugee camp, ''Cor, wait up a moment.'' Noct turned to Ignis, ''I need one of your Ebony's if you can spare one.'' Ignis nodded, ''Of course Noctis.'' Ignis summons one of his emergency Ebony's he kept in the Armiger, and handed it to the prince.

Noct smiles as he rolled the can between his hands, calling on his magic as he did so. It doesn't take long for the familiar spell to take hold of the coffee drink and he hands it over to Cor with a smirk, ''Use it. I need you to be at your best right now.'' Cor looks at the Ebony-turned-elixir for a while before he takes it, ''Thank you.'' Cor opens the can and drinks it, wincing at the overly sweet taste of the magic infused drink coating his mouth. It's worth it though, as he can feel his injuries heal and the pain-caused-tenseness slowly drain from his body.

Prompto grins as he take the rare opportunity to take a picture of his Uncle drinking Ebony before he asks, ''So where exactly are we going?'' He looked down at his camera screen with a smile, pleased at how the picture came out.

Cor turned to look at his nephew, ''The Tomb of the Wise is traditionally the first Royal Tomb the Crown Prince is sent to retrieve due to its proximity to Insomnia. It's at the end of this road but be on your guard, Daggerquills roost along the cliffs and are very territorial.'' With his injuries healed, Cor started back along the road slowly, followed by the four men.

It doesn't take long for them to reach the beginning of the cliffs housing the flying beats, Cor stopping short of their territory to not provoke an attack just yet. Gladio stopped beside him, ''It'll be nice to fight beside you for once.'' The Shield teased, smirking as the Marshall glared at him. ''Who said anything about fighting with you?'' Cor replied without hesitation.

Ignis hid a smile behind his hand as the sharp reply from the Marshall, coming to stand by Noctis and Prompto. Noctis grinned, ''Let me guess, another test of our skills?'' The prince tilted his head to see the Daggerquills flying between nests. Cor nodded, turning to look at the four men who had just been tasked with saving the kingdom from ruin.

''More of a test of your teamwork, I will be there if something goes wrong but otherwise I will allow you to go through this as you see fit.'' Cor motioned towards the road and the Tomb peeking through the twists of the cliff. Prompto grinned, slapping Noctis on his back as he brought out his gun, ''Yes! Let's show Uncle what we can do!'' He bounced over to Gladio happily.

Noctis shook his head at Prompto's exuberance, hurrying after the blond boy. ''Sounds like you just want to show off your skills Prom! I mean they are flying so that means Gladio and Ignis won't be able to reach them easily.'' Noctis ducked Gladio's retaliatory shove, putting an arm around Prompto's shoulders as he did. Ignis sighed, bowing to Cor before moving to rejoin the others, ''Enough of that, our best bet would be for both of you to bring the Daggerquills to me and Gladio so do try to aim for their wings.'' Noctis and Prompto nodded their understanding.

It didn't take long for the four friends to clear the way to the Tomb, well mostly thanks to Prompto's aim and Noctis' warp strike allowing Ignis and Gladio to finish off the Daggerquills once they were close enough. Cor snorted in amusement as he saw Prompto running from one side to the other, shooting both his guns and his camera with the same enthusiasm. By the time they reach the sealed entrance of the Tomb, Cor isn't nearly as worried as he had been setting out.

''This is one of the Royal Tombs, sealed to protect the powers that lay within them.'' Cor declared as he walked up to the marble carved door, taking out a key and using it to unlock it. He motioned for Noctis to enter and followed afterwards.

Noct hesitated as he walked into his ancestor's tomb, feeling drawn to the marbled sculpture of the deceased king and the sword that lay within its grasp. He felt the others walk in behind him, their presence warm and comforting. ''How do we do this?'' Noct asked as he reverently touched the cold marble.

Cor walked around to the other side of the coffin, ''Reach for the Sword with your magic; this is your birthright and duty as King.'' He stood in parade rest, hands clasped behind his back. Noctis nodded, reaching out to touch the Sword with a hesitant hand.

Noct took a step back in shock as a phantom image of the Sword of the Wise floated up, casting a dull blue light on those within the Tomb. Ignis, Gladio and Prompto gasped from behind Noctis; Ignis reaching out towards Noctis before stopping himself. Gladio had also moved, taking a single step closer to his prince, teeth clenched as he watched wearily the phantom weapon floating above their heads.

The Sword of the Wise stayed unmoving for many long moments before it dove towards Noctis, piercing his heart and for a heart wrenching moment, Noctis felt it stop cold. He took a large gasp of air at the pausing in his heartbeat before the cold faded into the now familiar feeling of magic running under his skin. ''Noct!'' shouted three worried voices, Ignis and Gladio quick to step up to their beloved and checking up on him, Prompto not far behind.

''I'm fine.'' Noctis said, panting a slight bit. He gingerly patted his chest to comfort himself that the Sword hadn't injured him, before he straightened with a sigh of relief. Cor smiled and walked up to Noctis, ''Well done, I'll leave the keys to the Tombs with you. Find them and gather the Royal Arms within, they may well prove to be invaluable in the fight against Niflheim.'' Noctis nodded, blushing slightly at the praise and sent the keys into his Armiger.

Cor looked at the men standing before him, they had all grown into confident and strong young men, full of life. ''There is another Tomb nearby, north of here in Keycatrich Trench. I suggest you go to it while you can, Niflheim will soon be moving troops out of Insomnia to claim the rest of Lucis.'' There was an edge of anger in his words, ''Unless you wish me to accompany you, I will return to the camp.''

Noctis shook his head, ''Thank you Cor. You should return to see to the Crownguards and the evacuees. Seeing to the safety of the civilians is to be your priority, understood?'' Cor bowed, ''As you command, your Majesty.'' They moved out of the Tomb, Noctis stopping outside to watch the door close behind them. Prompto hummed, Noct looked a bit gloomy. ''Hey! Why don't we get a picture with Cor before we leave?'' Prompto took his camera out, not really waiting for a reply. Gladio and Ignis shared a fond smile before Gladio moved to help Prompto set up his tripod.

Noctis grinned at Prompto's suggestion, turning to lean on Ignis with a sigh of contentment. Ignis reached out to wind an arm around Noct's waist, pressing a soft kiss on his temple. ''Are you alright Noctis?'' Ignis had spent the last few minutes going through the little knowledge he could remember concerning the acquisition of the Royal Arms but it was something passed from parent to child by word of mouth, not written down for the preservation of future generations.

Noctis nodded, ''I'm fine Specs, just a bit tired.'' Ignis tightened his grip around Noctis, ''Perhaps we should wait before heading to the other Royal Tomb?'' His suggestion went unanswered as Prompto shouted, ''Alright! It's ready!'' waving at them to get into position while he adjusted the timer. Cor found himself beside the new King in the middle. Gladio with Ignis stood beside Noctis and Prompto hurried over to stand by Cor, slipping an arm in Cor's and grinning at his surprise.

An hour later found the four men looking over what appeared to be the remains of Imperial airships, there were throngs of MTs patrolling about and Prompto had spotted two Magitek Armors wandering about. ''This seems troublesome.'' Muttered Ignis at the news, he was frowning and kept looking at Noctis. The day had been long and stressful for everyone but especially Noctis and Ignis could pick up the signs.

Noctis was slowing down, a slight limp visible when he had to climb anything and his right hand was trembling ever so slightly. Ignis glanced over to Gladio, their eyes meeting with the ease of familiarity and Ignis saw the same worry that he had. Ignis turned back to Noctis, reaching out to grab his shoulder, ''I believe we should return to our motel for the night and plan how to tackle this problem after resting. We have had a difficult day and could use the rest.'' Ignis felt Noctis tense up then his shoulders drop and Noct nodded.

Gladio is quite to wrap an arm around Noctis once they get out of sight of the Niflheim troops, tugging him closer and letting him rest part of his weight on the larger man rather than worsen his aches. It leaves Prompto and Ignis to clear the way of all obstacles, rare as they were, on their way back to the Regalia. They had stopped quickly at the Crownguard camp but found it mostly empty by now, only a few of the Lucian guard and hunters were around as the afternoon turned into evening.

''Where is everyone, Monica?'' Prompto asked, looking around while Ignis and Gladio shepherded an increasingly achy Noctis to the Regalia. Monica smiled as she looked up from what appeared to be a map of Insomnia's sewer system, if Prompto was reading the words scrawled messily on top correctly. ''Most have left to escort everyone to Lestallum. Your father and the Marshall left about an hour ago to see if they could sneak into the city safely. I expect them to be back by morning at the latest, did you need something?'' Prompto shook his head, ''No that's fine, Monica. Um… Can you keep on eye of them for me? They'll try to overdo it without Mom to keep them in line.'' Monica smiled and nodded, ''I will. Now I believe his Majesty is waiting for you.'' Prompto looked back and saw that she was right. With one last muttered thanks, Prompto hurried to the Regalia.

It was nearing supper time when the Regalia parked in front of their room, Noctis wincing as he got out of the car and slowly made his way to their room to collapse on the closest bed as soon as possible. ''You okay Noct?'' Asked Prompto dropping down to sit beside him, a hand reaching to glide through his hair gently. Noctis groaned, ''Tired, back hurts.'' Prompto hissed sympathetically at Noct's words.

Ignis and Gladio both heard Noct's words too, having expecting such an outcome and consequently having already started preparing to help Noctis with practiced ease. Gladio grabbed his bag then approached the bed, ''Alright Princess, you know the drill. Need help moving up?'' Gladio wait for Noctis to nod, his face tight from the radiating pain extending from the middle of his back down his leg and arm.

Prompto gets up then helped Gladio take the bed sheet and use it to move Noctis further up the bed without moving his back unnecessarily. Gladio starts helping and coaching Noctis through the series of exercises the physiotherapist created for exactly these moments, helping Noct when his own strength or his muscles failed. Prompto stayed by Noct's head, acting as a distraction from the pain as much as he could without causing Noct to lose his concentration while stretching sore and damaged muscles.

Ignis watched out of the corner of his eyes as Gladio and Prompto went about helping Noctis, his own part to play bringing him to go through their meager supplies in preparation for a healthy supper that would help Noctis after the stressful day. They still had a few fishes that Noctis had fished at Galdin Quay, add some turmeric, lime and onions over a bed of rice and… ''Will caramelized Galdin Trevalli with a white sauce and rice be satisfactory for tonight's supper?'' Ignis smiled as he heard his boyfriends respond enthusiastically to his suggestion.

Supper is a quiet affair, the exhaustion from the day's events and revelations ensuring none of them had much energy to fool around. Noctis is unsurprisingly the first one to go to bed, barely finishing supper before passing out with his head on Gladio's lap. Gladio smiled down and thanked Ignis when the adviser handed him his book without a word before returning to the small kitchen to clean up with Prompto.

As Prompto dried his hands after helping Ignis do the dishes, he catches sight of the phone in their room and remembers that he hadn't contacted his dad's old handler yet. ''Shit.'' Prompto moved over to the phone, one hand fishing out his cell from his pockets to get the number he's supposed to call. ''Ah, yes. We did forget about calling them.'' Ignis whispered as to not wake Noct up, sliding to stand beside Prompto as the blond started to enter the number in the dial up phone.

Prompto shifts from one foot to the other uneasily as he waits for someone to answer, they do just before Prompto is about to hang up. ''Took your damn time.'' Prompto bit his lip, ''Sorry, stuff happened.'' Prompto can hear the exasperation as the person replies, ''Always does. I won't ask details but I got to know what you're planning so I can get ya what you need.'' Prompto flicks his eyes up to Ignis, who was close enough to hear what was being said.

Ignis took out his own phone and types into an empty note function, _long term safe house + Information on Niflheim movements in Lucis,_ Prompto nodded his understanding. ''No details. The plan is to find a safe place to stay long term and figure out what Niflheim is planning now.'' The voice mumbles for a bit, the words too low to be understand before it comes back and the person tells Prompto, ''I can give ya a safe house but that's it. And it means I don't owe Savant anything anymore. Understood?'' Prompto agrees easily, a place to stay without having to worry about being found by Niflheim would be perfect. The voice chuckles, ''Good. The keys and the address will be left as a lost and found item at the front desk of the motel. The reservation for Stanza is guaranteed for a week but get out of there by then or else.'' Prompto doesn't have the time to answer in anyway before they hang up and Prompto is left listening to the tone.

Ignis sighed, ''Not quite as helpful as we had hoped but I suppose we cannot look a gift from the chocobo's mouth as being pointless. It has at least given us lodging for a week if all else fails.'' He moved towards the bathroom, ''I shall be taking my shower first. '' as he disappeared into the small room and closes the door.

Prompto hangs the phone to its place before slicking over to drop heavily against Gladio's free side. He reached out and slipped his fingers into Noct's smooth hair while worrying his lip. ''You'll hurt yourself if you keep doing that.'' Gladio reached to slide his thumb over the reddened lip gently before leaning in to kiss the blond and whisper, ''Enough worrying for tonight. We're here together and we can handle anything that gets thrown at us so try to relax a bit.'' Prompto leaned his forehead on Gladio's shoulder with a sigh, at this rate he wouldn't be able to sleep because of how jittery he was.

He stays pressed against Gladio, listening as Ignis started the shower before making his mind. ''I'm going to go for a walk. I'll be back soon.'' Prompto pushed himself up, smiling at Gladio when the big guy looked up worryingly at him. ''I'll be fine and I have my phone if something happens. You just stay here and take your own advice, relax.'' He grinned and grabbed his camera before leaving the comforting safety of his friends to step out into the night.

Prompto hummed to himself as he started walking around, he didn't have a destination in mind just wondering through the small town without a thought. He found a few nice spots to take pictures of the horizon and night sky but otherwise it seemed like he was completely alone out there. Just him, his thoughts and the extra energy that seemed to bloom the father he went into the pitch blackness of the night. It wasn't a conscious thing, his body following along a path it seemed to know, drawing Prompto away from the protective lights of the town until Prompto found himself standing alone in front of a familiar and yet unfamiliar person.

''Isn't it a bit late for a young man such as yourself to be prancing around in the dark? If you aren't careful you might end up besieged by daemons.'' Prompto could barely make out the reddish color of the voice's proprietor but his clothes were unmistakable. ''You! From Galdin!'' Prompto was expecting the same crushing immobility to grasp him but it never came. The man in front of him looked sadly at Prompto, ''So you met him after all… I had hoped he would content himself with Insomnia and leave you boys alone but I suppose that was expecting too much of him.'' The man stepped closer to Prompto, hands raised in a friendly gesture of peace.

Prompto moved away carefully, dropping his camera to hang from his neck as he growled, ''What do you mean?'' The man stopped where he was as Prompto moved away, keeping his hands open and as nonthreatening as possible. ''It's a long story unfortunately, one that neither of us have time to deal with at the moment. I am Ardyn Lucis Caelum, I need to speak with the Chosen King before Izunia wakes up. Will you guide me to him, Prompto Argentum, formerly Besithia?''

A/N: Quick question for my readers, do you guys want the whole Ten Years of Ruin to happen? Yes or no? I have two possible ways to deal with that and want your opinions. Thank you for reading and the reviews!


	7. Chapter 7

Prompto stared at Ardyn, utterly confused, ''What? That's impossible!'' Ardyn didn't move, only giving the blond a wry smile and suddenly the strange man was surrounded by shimmering red weapons that spun lazily in a circle. Prompto squeaked in surprised, pointing at the weapons then at Ardyn from shock, ''Royal Arms?''

Ardyn couldn't help the small laughter that left him in the face of Prompto's innocent surprise, ''Do you believe me now, young Prompto?'' Prompto snapped out of his shock when he realised that this was the second time that Ardyn had called him by name, ''How do you know my name? Though I guess I can believe you being related to King Regis.'' Prompto was still very much weary of the stranger.

Ardyn sighed, he could feel the strain start creeping up his back, the unfortunately familiar sensation of Izunia starting to wake up slowly. He didn't have much time left, a lot less then he had expected or wanted and definitively not enough to go see the young prince before he lost control. Ardyn looked at Prompto and made his mind, the boy would have to act as a messenger.

''My apologies, but it appears I have less time than expected. I will answer your question young man but in return I ask that you give a message to Prince Noctis. Is that agreeable?'' Ardyn asked. Prompto thought about it but his curiosity and the proof concerning Ardyn's bloodline prompted him to nod. Ardyn smiled, ''Thank you. I know your name for I was there at your birth and had the dubious and regrettable pleasure of dealing with your biological father for many years.'' Ardyn stopped, drawing a deep breath as a shiver racked through his body.

 _I'm running out of time, damn it Izunia!_ Wrenching his mind back to the physical world, Ardyn hurried to give Prompto his message, ''What I have to say is very important, you must ensure the prince hears this as soon as possible. **The Oracle will awaken the Astrals physical form soon, the Chosen King must reach them before the Emperor's madness does.** '' Ardyn took a breath to continue when the first wave of pain locked his muscles in place.

Prompto was listening carefully as Ardyn talked, feeling a wave of relief at the news that Luna was alright if the man was to be believed. When Ardyn suddenly stopped and tensed up, Prompto reacted, ''Hey are you ok?'' He reached out to touch Ardyn. The moment Prompto's hand touched Ardyn's arm, everything went completely black for the blond.

Prompto staggered back a few steps, his sight showing the man in front of him as a being of pure energy, both grey-white of the Scourge and the blue of the Crystal, lighting his immediate surroundings. A quick glance to his own hands confirmed Prompto's fear and he swore, ''Shit!'' before returning his attention the blurred outline of Ardyn, ''What the hell are you? '' The night sky wasn't dark anymore to Prompto, filling with specs of Scourge that shone of its energy and showed Prompto a world he rarely wanted to see.

Ardyn was just as shocked as Prompto was, the moment the young man had touched him he had felt Izunia's presence fade significantly. Prompto's appearance had changed just as much, his skin becoming pale, almost translucent, with black lines showing the biggest of his blood vessels. His eyes were completely black with two black streaks going down from the idle of his eyes until the middle of his cheeks. Ardyn could feel the Scourge pulsing through the boy's body despite there being no sign of it moments earlier, ''I feel that should be my question.'' There was also something… comforting? About being around Prompto.

Prompto swore as the familiar hunger started to appear, an insistent pressure tugging at his mind. The Scourge in him wanted to eat. More than that, it wanted to eat Ardyn! Once Prompto realised that, he couldn't stay around any longer. The hunger was growing stronger and Prompto could see some of the Scourge peeling off from Ardyn and being absorbed into his own body. There was no way he could stay around, not when it put his sanity and humanity at risk just by standing there.

Ardyn watched, stunned, as Prompto turned around and started running, ''Wait! Prompto!'' Ardyn called out, moving to follow the boy only to feel something he hadn't felt in millennias and his leg collapsed on him. Ardyn bite down on his tongue as the long numbed pain of his mutilated hip returned with a vengeance. The healer found himself unable to move, watching helplessly as Prompto disappeared into the night.

Ardyn shifted from his knees to sit and then lay down on his back, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes at the newly returned pain and from the frustration of being unable to do what he had wanted to accomplish. When he opened his eyes, Ardyn was startled to see a long forgotten face looking down towards him, ''Gentiana.'' Ardyn whispered.

The Messenger smiled, tilting her head slightly before she bent down and placed a soft hand against his hip. Ardyn sighed as the pain receded, replaced by numbing cold. Ardyn slowly sat up then stood on unsteady legs, ''I thank you for your help, Lady Gentiana. Did you require something of me?'' He looked at the woman curiously.

Gentiana smiled, ''It has been long since I have used my touch to help rather than hinder you, it is good to be able to do so again. I do not require anything of you yet but I believe you might require something of me?'' She opened her eyes to meet Ardyn's gaze with burning understanding.

Ardyn stared then bowed deeply, ''Please Lady Gentiana, will you let the Chosen King and his friends know what happened in the Citadel? They deserve to know the truth of their families' fate.'' Gentiana smiled and vanished as Ardyn rose from his bow. When Izunia woke up, moments after her departure, Ardyn didn't try to fight it, he would need his mental energy later and there was no point in wasting his energy on a battle that was already lost.

Prompto ran, as fast as he could, until he saw the lights of the small town appear before him. The light didn't affect him like it did true daemons but he was well aware of how frightening his current appearance was. He skirted the edge of town, staying out of sight until he reached the back of the motel. Prompto could feel the energy he had absorbed from the strange man thrum in his veins, he wasn't sure if he would be able to force the Scourge back into that space Luna and Noct had created for it.

Prompto had to try though but before that… He took out his phone and called Gladio. ''Hey Prompto, whats up?'' Gladio's voice soothed Prompto's nerves a bit, ''Gladio, I ran into trouble while out and well... That came out. I'm not sure if I can manage to change back alone, can you or Ignis get out here to help?'' He whispered, keeping an eye out for anyone in the area.

Gladio swore but it was Ignis' voice that asked, ''Where are you?'' Prompto answered, ''At the motel, out of sight. I can see the door to our room.'' In the room Ignis motioned for Gladio to stay where he was, still serving as a pillow for Noct, before he headed for the door. Prompto smiled as he saw Ignis getting out of the room, looking around for him. Prompto waved, ''Hey big guy? Is Noct still sleeping?''

Gladio frowned as he tried to figure out a way to move Noct without waking him up or cause him pain, ''Ya, why?'' Outside, Ignis returned Prompto's wave with his own as he walked up to their boyfriend. Prompto hummed then told Gladio, ''Wake him up please, there's something I need to talk with all of you about.'' Prompto hung up right afterwards to greet Ignis with a relieved smile.

Ignis was quick to inspect Prompto, looking for any injuries or outward changes that might make the return to his normal state harder but found nothing unusual. ''Are you alright Prompto?'' He asked reaching out to place a hand on Prompto's arm.

Prompto melted at the touch, almost purring as he felt Ignis' magic linger at the touch. ''I'm fine, Iggy. Not injured just… bit freaked out by what happened.'' Prompto shook his head when Ignis wordlessly asked him for details, ''Not now.'' Ignis hummed his acknowledgement, starting to rub soothing circles over Prompto's arms until Prompto feels like he can start changing back.

The change back is slow and it feels like Prompto is fighting for every bit of his humanity as he forcefully strips the daemonic energy that clung to his every cell. Through it all Ignis was there, talking him through it with whispered words of encouragement and comfort. When Prompto is finally able to close his mental door on the last of the Scourge presence, he is panting and only able to stand because Ignis is supporting his weight completely.

Ignis rubbed soothing circles on Prompto's back as he drew his exhausted lover into a bridal carry, ignoring the complaint from Prompto. Gladio was at the door already and Noctis was sitting up at the edge of the bed, eyes blurry from sleep. ''What the hell happened Prom?'' asked Gladio harshly, worry threading in his voice as he closed the door and locked it behind Ignis before joining them on the bed.

Ignis was careful as he placed Prompto beside Noctis, the still sleepy king tugging Prompto to put his head on Noct's lap, something that Prompto did with a happy sigh. Ignis glared over his shoulder at Gladio when he spoke, ''He will speak when he is ready, not a moment before.'' Ignis returned to look at the still pale, exhausted but human Prompto and sat down to cart his fingers through his sweat soaked hair. ''Do you require anything love?''

Prompto shook his head, peaking away up to Ignis and giving the worried adviser a smile. ''Sorry for making you worry.'' Noctis tapped Prompto's forehead muttering sleepily, ''Not what you should be saying.'' Prompto pouted at him but Noctis just grinned. ''Fine, thank you Iggy for your help.'' Prompto sighed, Ignis smiled down softly, ''It was my pleasure.'' It takes a few minutes before Prompto has enough energy to start talking again and he doesn't waste much more time recounting the strange night encounter and what he had seen as his Daemon Self to his family.

Gladio had migrated to sitting behind Noct and Prompto, allowing them to lean on him as Prompto talked. Ignis hadn't moved from his spot beside Prompto, frowning as he asked a few questions about the events Prompto was recounting while Noctis simply listened with half lidded eyes watching Prompto carefully. ''And that's what happened. Whoever this Ardyn is, he definitively has the Scourge and very badly at that…'' Prompto finished.

The room was silent for several moments before Ignis spoke, ''It would not be impossible for this man being to be related to Noct, there exists many records of out-of-wedlock children being born from previous rulers indiscretions. The question though is how he could have created a covenant with the Crystal without the assistance of King Regis. Such a thing should not be possible or there would be many more people able to wield magic.''

Gladio tightened his hug around Noctis and Prompto, ''You're forgetting how he knew Prompto's name or the fact that he knew where we were! We should get out and find somewhere else to rest.'' Gladio made to get up only to be interrupted by Noctis, ''We're staying here. We're all exhausted and if that guy knew where we were then why not just show up at the door?'' Noct shook his head, ''I don't think we should worry about him, I'm more worried about what Luna is planning.''

Ignis smiled, more than a little proud as Noctis spoke up firmly, '' **The Oracle will awaken the Astrals physical form soon, the Chosen King must reach them before the Emperor's madness does.** You mean because of this message?'' Noctis nodded, Ignis could admit to worrying about the meaning behind this message. The first part seemed clear, Lady Lunafreya was alright and heading towards the Astrals' altars to awaken them but the rest was what worried Ignis. ''We must trust in Lady Luna's abilities and that of her escorts. I worry about what Ardyn meant when he spoke of the Emperor's madness.''

Gladio growled, ''Iedolas was always a madman, he went after the Crystal! I'm sure that Ardyn was just saying that he'd be aiming for the Astrals next.'' Ignis shot the man a look, opened his mouth to reply only to be interrupted by a soft snore. Prompto had fallen asleep, unnoticed by his friends until now. Noctis chuckled and smiled fondly, ''Let's rest up. Tomorrow we head to grab the Royal arm in the Keycatrich Trench and then we'll head to Lestallum. Titan's body rests nearby, if Luna hasn't been there yet then we'll wait until she shows up while dealing with Niflheim.'' With their King having spoken, Gladio and Ignis helped Noctis get Prompto undressed and tucked under the heavy blankets.

The room was quickly filled with the soft breathing of sleeping bodies, comfortable and safe in their beds. A small red light glowed in a corner, illuminating a small fox like creature sitting, watching the four men sleep. After being still and silent for a long time, it opened its mouth and gave a single cry before running and jumping unto one of the beds. The red light returned and left the room empty when it disappeared, no one the wiser of their nightly visitor.

 _Noctis was smiling, sitting in his father' office surrounded by friends and family. He couldn't stop laughing at a joke he couldn't remember hearing in the first place. His dad was behind his desk, smirking while watching him with prideful eyes. Noctis smiled back, getting up to take a look at the papers his dad had in front of him. He looked down at them and…_

 _Noctis took a deep breath and treaded the water, shaking water from his eyes as he tried to find someone. A wall of water crashed on him, setting the would be king back under the water. Noctis struggled against the current, fighting to return to the surface so he could breathe. Out of the corner of his eye, Noctis sees something big move and turns to follow it. A large eye loomed close, staring at Noctis with contempt and hatred. The eye disappeared to be replaced by a huge maw heading straight to him and..._

 _Noctis stood alone in a storm, his clothing soaked and being tugged this way and that by the shrieking winds. Lightning struck not far from him, the flash of light blinding him and the thunder that followed almost throwing him to the ground. Noctis keep his arms up in front of his face, trying to find his way among the raging storm. The next lightning struck within seconds, illuminating the shadow of a giant man, floating above him holding a cane aimed straight at Noctis. The thunder rushed over Noctis, the cane flew and…._

 _Noctis shivered, waist deep in snow, struggling against its weight with every step. More snow fell from the grey sky, the white landscape blinding him every time he could pry his frozen eyes open. There was nothing but white as far as his eyes could see, no matter where he looked everything was just cold and white. Noctis forced his frozen limbs to move against the packed snow, every step was taking him closer to somewhere, it had to. He opened his eyes, straining to find something to give him direction. Laughter whispered in his ear, as cold as the snow, his foot struck something hidden by the snow and…_

 _Noctis ducked a boulder falling from above him, plastering himself against the mountain wall as the avalanche continued without stopping. Noctis ran from one hiding place to the other, wincing every time a boulder grazed him or gravel hit him from his blind spot. By the time he had moved three times, Noctis was blind from the blood streaming into his left eye, his wrist broken and too many scrapes to count. A rumble from above announced more boulders falling towards him, Noctis barely has time to dive away before his resting spot is destroyed by the falling rocks. He looks up and…_

 _Noctis is sitting in front of the Crystal, the protective casing open and allowing it to light up the room with its brilliance. He stares into its depth, losing himself as he falls freely through a whirlwind of colors and energy. Something stands above him, a shadow of a being larger than life, casting his judgement on Noctis for something he didn't understand. Noctis couldn't break free from the light, opens his mouth to scream and…_

 _Noctis stares at the book in his hand, unable to understand the words written on it. His phone goes off, Noctis looks at it and smiles, ''It's been a while since you last showed up in my dreams Carbuncle.'' The small astral jumped down unto Noctis' shoulder, curling itself around his neck comfortably. Noct laughs and check the message his protector and friend sent him,_ _ **Sorry for the nightmares but I wanted to warn you. The others aren't happy with how things are progressing.**_

 _Noct frowned, looking over at his companion, ''Arent' happy about what?'' Carbuncle licked his cheek,_ _ **The cure has changed your fate, I don't know if it's for the better or worse. Bahamut's prophecy named you as the destroyer of the Scourge, he fears that another Solheim might happen should the prophecy not come to pass.**_ _Noctis absentmindedly petted Carbuncle as he read the message. ''I don't understand.''_

 _Carbuncle keened,_ _ **You don't have too right now, just remember that you were Chosen by the Crystal of Eos. You are the King of Light. It's time for you to start your journey towards your destiny.**_ _Noctis looked at the Astral, confused. A rumble shook his dream causing Noct to grab at the bookshelf in front of himwith one hand, his other keeping Carbuncle on his shoulder. He felt a warm tongue lick his hand,_ _ **I can't interfere against his will but I can give you my blessing.**_ _A red light shone from Carbuncle, blinding Noctis and …_

''Wake up Noct!'' Prompto sang, poking his cheek while grinning. Noctis groaned, turning away from the offending hand and dragging the blanket over his head, ''Five more minutes….'' He mumbled, closing his eyes once more only to jerk up staring as his wrist. A red mark had appeared there, the symbol of Carbuncle's blessing.

A/N: I'm heading off to visit my sister for a bit over a week. I wont be updating any of my fics until I return. Thank you everyone for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Midday found the four men eating a quick lunch while keeping an eye on the increased presence of Niflheim forces. They had left the Regalia hidden in Hammerhead, Cindy having offered to lend them another car, less conspicuous than their current one, to use for as long as they needed it. Noctis had been broken up about it but Ignis made convincing arguments about accepting the mechanic's offer.

Now, Noctis munched on the sandwich Ignis had made and stared at the new mark pensively. Prompto leaned on his shoulder and asked, ''Gill for your thought?'' Noctis shrugged, ''I was wondering what Carbuncle's Blessing is. He didn't say when he gave it to me.'' Prompto hummed, taking the last bite of his food before he said, ''Carbuncle is the astral of dreams and protection right? So it has to be something connected to that.'' Prompto got up into a crouch and turned to look at Ignis, who was looking over the edge of a larger boulder towards the field.

Ignis had been keeping an eye out on the Niflheim forces patrolling the area between the outpost and the assumed location of the second Royal Arm. As they had thought, there were a lot more MTs and soldiers this morning including at least 6 of the Magitek Armor visible in the sunlight. Ignis waits until the other 3 are gathered around him before whispering his plan, ''We need to take out the Magitek Armor and the snipers first. Gladio and Prompto, the patrol route of that Magitek,'' Ignis points out one of the lumbering machine and continues, ''leaves it separated from the rest of the troops once it reaches the norther most platform. You should be able to make short work of it.''

Ignis looked over to Noctis, ''As for us, we'll take care of the snipers. I counted 5, hiding on the ledges over there, there and there.'' Ignis pointed each location and waited for Noct to acknowledge each of them. He glance around and smiled, ''Do be careful.'' With a plan outlined, Gladio and Prompto set off to move quietly to the lone ruin of an old platform while Noctis and Ignis moved to the opposite side of the field towards the closest of the snipers.

Unsurprisingly, Gladio is the first to move, jumping to swing his sword at the nearest leg as the moving weapon came within range. Prompto followed his lead, taking careful aim at the exhaust ports he could see poking out from the metallic frame like big bright neon targets for him to shot. ''SHIT!'' Screamed Prompto as Gladio was able to sever through the targeted leg, making the armor on legs fall sideways straight towards where the gunner was standing.

Prompto rolled out of the way, wincing at the scraps he got as a result than grinned, ''Hello opening!'' He was quick to discharge three round into the cockpit of the machine, not waiting to see if his bullets hit his target (of course they did, he hadn't missed a shot within 50m in years!) before he called out, ''Gladio!'' and jumped down.

Gladio grunted as he caught Prompto bridal style, grinning down at the exuberant blond, ''Nice of you to drop by.'' Prompto squawked at the bad one liner, pushing himself out of Gladio's arms and unto his feet before shooting back, ''Come on Big Guy! That one is so old it creaks!'' Gladio growled as he slapped Prompto's ass in retaliation as the blond started running away, Gladio took a look at the Magitek Armor and swore before chasing after Prompto. The explosion still managed to singe his back with the heat even as he threw himself into a forward roll. One down!

Ignis and Noctis managed to evade all attention as they sneaked ever closer to their first target, they used the destruction of the Magitek Armor as their signal to start moving, but only after sharing a wry smirk as they each imagined the chaos Gladio and Prompto tended to create together. Noctis warped straight at the sniper, his engine blade burying itself into the chest plate of the sniper's armor. The newly made king grunted as he tore the blade sideways through the armor and the daemon hidden inside.

Ignis had gone straight for the 5 MTs stationed under the sniper, presumably as guards for the specialized sniper unit. The first MT went down immediately, Ignis' lance buried in its head. The royal adviser allowed the lance to dissipate, grabbing his daggers as he jumped towards his next target. His daggers found their mark in its neck. Gun fire came from behind, Ignis throwing himself out of harm's way and grinning as the friendly fire took out a third MT with Ignis having to do anything.

Noctis dropped down from his perch with his own lance leading the way. The long weapon piercing through the joint between shoulder and neck then lifted off the ground by Noctis momentum. Ignis smirked as he threw his dagger at the last MT, a distraction, and pulled out his lance once more and ran the last MT in their immediate area out of commission.

None of them had the time to celebrate as the noise and explosions caught the attention of the rest of the Niflheim troops. They fight their way back together, surrounded by enemies but it doesn't keep them from shouting at each other in the midst of battle. Prompto laughs as he shoots down MTs getting to close to his boyfriends. Ignis throwing the few magic flask after Gladio and Noct work together to draw them into a small group and then suggesting what to do next while performing flawless gymnastics around danger.

Noct and Gladio keep a count of their downed MTs, each shouting at the other as they tear down the small army stationed in their way but always there if someone got in trouble. It's a style perfected by a decade of being together almost daily, thrown together and adjusted by Ignis' careful strategies and tactics. It's a way of moving together that relies on an overwhelming amount of trust between all four of them to perform. It's seeing Gladio throw up an arm for Prompto to jump on to get a better shot just because Noctis shouted in glee. It's seeing Noctis warp to Ignis' dagger without waiting to confirm the adviser's aim. It's seeing Prompto slide in between Gladio's legs when he is stuck pushing back against the axes of three axemen.

All of them are exuberant, exhausted and yet proud of their work as Gladio and Ignis double team the last MT with barely a glance between them to coordinate for it. Noctis hangs off Prompto, ignoring the whining from his friend to leer at his Shield and Adviser as they high fived each other before returning to their lovers with beaming smiles.

''Ready to get moving Princess?'' Gladio asked grinning. Noctis smirked, ''You bet I am. Let's go grab this Royal Arm and then head to Lestallum.'' Ignis spoke up, his voice serious, ''Gladio, you should not be addressing Noct as Princess, it's improper.'' Gladio and Noct both turn to stare at Ignis, confused as to why he would object to the pet name now of all times.

Prompto turned away from them, hiding his grin as he waits for Ignis to continue. Ignis kept his face carefully polite as he continued, ''The proper term now should be Queen.'' Gladio's jaw dropped even as Prompto started laughing followed by Ignis and then Noct, though he did so with a mumbled groan.

Ignis and Prompto still burst into giggle whenever they remember Gladio's expression despite having fought their way through a few more Niflheim troops as they walked through the Keycatrich Trench towards the location Cor had given them. Gladio was lagging behind as he scowled at Ignis, he was planning his revenge for the joke and wondering if he should include Prompto as a target too.

Noctis frowned as he looked at the small entrance leading underground before glancing over to check on Prompto. It was no secret that their usually exuberant lover was claustrophobic and Noctis could easily see Prompto shifting uneasily as he looked at the entrance with uncertainty. Ignis and Gladio were just as worried but there was little they could do to help except keep close in case they were needed.

With Gladio and Noctis leading them forward, the four men started descending into the cave slowly and carefully after flicking on their pocket lights. Prompto stayed close to the others as he walked into the cave, frowning as two things stood out to him. ''We have daemons in here and also what the hell is this place?'' He looked around the area curiously, looking at the sandbags packed into a wall and the rusted door he could barely make out at the far end of the cave.

The warning of daemons had everyone on edge, ready to summon their weapons should one show up without warning. Ignis shifted to stand beside Prompto as he answered, ''From the looks of things, I believe this was a shelter created when this area was the frontline of the war.'' They reached the rusted door without trouble; it was thankfully unlocked and opened with the expected squeak of rusted hinges.

The stairs beyond the door descended steadily and the darkness surrounding Noctis and his friends prevented them from seeing the end of it to Prompto's increasing discomfort. The gunner reached out to the closest of his friends, which happened to be Ignis, and threaded his fingers through theirs. Ignis looked at Prompto's pale face and squeezed his hand before stepping closer to him until they were pressed arm to arm as they walked down after Gladio and Noctis.

Finding the cable at the bottom of the stairs and seeing the generator was a minor relief. Finding out the generator was still functional AND it turned on the lights? Prompto muttered a prayer in thanks for the miracle as the light showed the area right around them, it was far from perfect but it did help a bit to lessen the impact his overactive imagination had on his fear.

Gladio kept to the front of their small group, leading the way through the single path until they found themselves at a T intersection. ''Which way do we go? Any ideas?'' He glanced at both sides with a frown but Gladio didn't see anything that would tell them which way lead them to their destination.

Noctis joined Gladio and looked from side to side, the path to the right lead slightly downwards while the left one seemed to continue without end. Noctis looked over to Ignis and his adviser shrugged, ''I'm afraid Cor didn't not provide directions as to how to proceed after reaching the entrance.'' Noct turned back and sighed, ''We've been going down until now, guess we might as well keep going.''

They follow the path, thankfully short, and arrived at another rusted gate. The walls beyond it go from dirt and rock to brick and cement, some of which crumbled noisily as they walked past them. Prompto stayed close to Ignis, still holding unto the adviser's hand as he jumped at every noise or movement. ''This sucks!'' He groaned after Gladio accidently kicked an empty can, making Prompto jumped and scream in fright. ''Can we hurry up? I really don't want to end up buried.''

Ignis nods in agreement, ''That would be wise.'' Noct took it as sign to hurry up going from a slow careful walk to a more hurried pace through the halls of the half-forgotten shelter. Thankfully the path is relatively straight from there on, collapsed passages and locked doors ensuring no chance of getting lost among the creaky abandoned bunker.

As they get farther down, a strange knocking starts to follow them, making Gladio summon his sword and push Noctis behind him as they continue downwards. Prompto was almost plastered against Ignis by now with the older man whispering to his partner softly to try and keep his mind off of imagined (or not so imagined) dangers.

Prompto was feeling more and more claustrophobic as he felt not only the weight of the walls pressing down on him but also the increasingly disorienting sense of daemons flirting just out of his perception. His grip on Ignis and the words he could hear being whispered to him were the only things keeping him somewhat focused as he struggled to keep himself human.

When they found themselves at a dead end except for a single door, Prompto spoke up, ''We're being surrounded.'' His words carried in the near silence and kept Noct from opening the door right away. Ignis frowned and asked, ''Can you tell how many or what they are?'' Prompto shook his head, gritting his teeth together as the daemon in him grew just that much louder.

Gladio growled and tugged Noct away from the door, ''Then we get ready to fight. That means you too Prompto.'' The Shield knew he was being harsh but he needed everyone to be ready should, or rather when, they got attacked. He ignored Ignis and Noct's glare of reproach as he reached out and counted to three out loud before opening the door. Or rather he tried to open it, the door was just as locked as the others they had passed along the way.

Noctis groaned, ''Locked again? Guess we came down the wrong path after a…'' He was interrupted by a loud metallic noise coming from the only other entrance. ''What was that?'' Noct wondered, ignoring the sound of protest from Gladio as he jogged over to investigate.

He wondered back a bit and stopped in front of one of the previously blocked side passages, ''What the hell? Guys! This door just opened!'' He shouted back at his friends. Gladio was the first to reach him, glaring at him as he passed by, ''Don't run off like that.'' The larger man hissed before taking the lead once more.

Gladio passed through the rusted gate cautiously, his sword gripped firmly and he moved with the expectation of being attacked at any moment. The seconds became a minute then two of silence before Gladio allowed himself to relax slightly and he waved the other 3 men over, ''Looks clear!'' He waited for them to get closer before going on forwards, keeping an eye as he moved.

Prompto felt like he was surrounded by molasses, every step requiring his full attention lest he stumble and it grew worst the further they went down. He spent most of his time allowing Ignis to guide him through the underground passages as he was forced to fight against his own mind to keep control of his body. He kept hearing words and sounds just outside of his understanding and each of them caused his daemon-self to shift violently in his mind.

Ignis was growing increasingly worried about Prompto as they continued their search for the Royal Tomb. The blond had a look of intense concentration on his face but didn't respond to Ignis anymore. He wasn't the only one worrying as shown with every glance Gladio tossed towards them and every time Noctis dropped back to check on them. Ignis contemplated speaking up and asking them to return to the surface, if only to get Prompto away from this area but with no way to gauze how far they were from their destination it meant potentially losing what progress they had made.

The silence between them continued until they reached a wider area, the stalagmites and stalactites hiding corners within pockets of darkness and forcing them to slow down considerably lest they miss something important. ''Watch out!'' Prompto's sudden shout took everyone by surprise, making the shouted warning counterproductive as they all turned to stare at Prompto in worry.

Prompto swore as he summoned his gun and brought it to bear just in time to shoot down the first of the child-sized humanoid daemons that had appeared from behind a cluster of stalactites without warning. Gladio was the next one to recover, swinging around to take a swipe at another while Noctis stumbled back to gain enough distance to summoned a weapon.

Thankfully for all of them, they only had to face a small group of the daemons despite the fact that the daemons were nimbler and kept jumping everywhere while simultaneously trying to steal their possessions. Ignis speared the last of the daemons with gleeful satisfaction as he recovered the potion it had stolen from him before turning around to check up on the others. Gladio seemed unharmed other than a few minor scratches as for Noctis…

Ignis swore, ''Prompto!'' Noctis was kneeling and supporting a collapsed Prompto. Ignis dropped to his knees beside them, eyes roaming over the blond in search of an injury or cause for his current, pained, state but he found nothing. ''Prompto?'' Noctis asked, hesitantly as he shifted the blond more comfortably.

Prompto groaned before he opened his eyes wearily. ''I'm…I'm okay just give me a minute.'' He replied hoarsely as he closed his eyes again. Gladio joined them after having made sure there were no other daemons waiting in the area despite his desire to go to the blond as soon as Ignis had shouted. He and Ignis shared a look before they refocused on Prompto whose expression was slowly relaxing.

It took more than a minute before Prompto was strong enough to get back up, his complexion seemed a lot better than before even if he was still a bit paler than normal. Noct waited beside Prompto, ready to catch him if he collapsed again and asked, ''Are you okay?''

Prompto nodded, ''I think so but that sucked!'' He rubbed the back of his neck as he searched for words to explain what had happened, ''Sorry for making you guys worry, Daemon-Me was making a lot of noise the more we went down.'' Gladio frowned and asked, ''Should we be worried?'' Prompto shook his head, ''Nah, its good now that I know what the hell I was sensing.'' He gave the Shield a thumbs up with a grin.

Ignis wondered, ''Are you certain Prompto?'' Prompto nodded, turning to face Ignis, ''Yup, Daemon-Me was just trying to warn me about those daemons but I couldn't understand it and it was getting pissed when I ignored it.'' He smirked, ''I finally got the message when those…'' Ignis provided, ''I believe they are called Goblins.'' Prompto nodded and continued, ''Those goblins popped up behind Noct and Gladio. And better than just that, I think I know where to go to the Tomb!''

With Prompto leading the way with Gladio close by, the four men were able to progress easily through the maze of locked doors and failed ambushes from the Goblins. At one point the lights failed, leaving them all floundering in surprise at the sudden darkness but they were able to find a second generator close by to their relief.

Prompto kept explaining everything his Daemon-self was saying as they walked. It was mostly small things like, ''The daemons keep away from the Tomb, they don't like the energy around it.'' Or ''Careful! There's an Arachne waiting to ambush us beyond the doors.'' And occasionally, ''There's an item behind there.''

It made the rest of the walk quick and after taking out the Arachne, they found themselves standing in front of the Royal Tomb. Prompto shivered as he walked up to it, ''Astrals, if this is just part of what daemons sense then no wonder they stay away.'' He muttered. Noctis and Ignis were both beside him quickly, both asking, ''Are you okay?''

Prompto grinned and nodded, ''Yup, just feels like I'm stepping into one of Noct's thunder spells without any of the pain just the really electrifying feel. It's weird.'' Noct shifted and then moved to open the door to the Tomb, ''In that case, lets hurry up and get out of here.'' The door opened to a Tomb, the coffin in the middle of the round room in an almost identical copy of the first Tomb they had visited.

Noctis didn't waste any time to absorb the Royal Arm, a large axe that was almost as tall as Noctis. The second time seeing the ritual that allowed Noctis to take in his ancestor's weapon was just as jarring as the first time. Gladio was there to steady Noct as the axe disappeared into his Armiger and carefully guided the young king away. The trip back to the surface was thankfully without fights and they arrived outside an hour or so before sundown.

''Do we return to Taelpart and our motel or should we stay at Hammerhead first?'' asked Ignis as they made their way back to the car they had borrowed from Cindy. Noctis hummed then shrugged, ''Don't really care. Prom? Gladio?'' Prompto shrugged as well, he didn't really care. Gladio reminded, ''We already picked up the package from Prompto's mysterious contact and we packed everything away in the Regalia. Seeing as Ardyn was around last night, I'd rather not go back and risk Prompto meeting the guy again.''

The reminder of the strange meeting had Prompto groan and shake his head, ''I second that! Dealing with Daemon-Me once today was enough, I just want to eat and then crash.'' He opened the passenger door and slid into the seat with a sigh of relief. Ignis walked around to the driver seat and grinned as he slid in the car, ''Then it's settled, we'll return to Hammerhead and spend the night there.''

The drive to the small town was quick and they arrived with sometime to spare before sunset to be greeted by Cindy. ''Howdy boys! Found what y'all were looking for?'' Ignis smiled as he returned the keys to the borrowed car to the mechanic, ''Indeed we did, our thanks for the car.'' Cindy grinned then turned to face Gladio with a serious expression. She pointed at him and declared, ''You mister had better hurry up and get to Takka's. Ya got someone waiting for ya.''

Gladio stared at the mechanic, surprised and worried and shot a look over to Noct. The king nodded and softly reassured Gladio, ''Go on, we'll bring your things to the caravan then meet you there.'' With the permission of his king, Gladio dropped the bags he was holding and hurried over to the Crow's Nest.

He almost slammed the doors opened as he entered. Gladio looked around, trying to recognize someone that might be waiting for him before a shout followed blurred figure barreling into him caught his attention. ''Gladdy!'' Iris shouted gleefully as the youngest of the Amicitia siblings looked up at her brother with relief.

Gladio stood shock still for a moment, looking down at his sister then sweeping her into a breathtaking hug, ''Iris!'' He swirled her around before dropping her unto her feet and looking at his sister carefully. He felt anger grow as he saw a black eye, a swollen wrist wrapped in bandages and most worrying for the protective brother was the clear handprint-bruise around her neck. ''What happened?!'' He growled.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: OMG! I just went through episode Prompto and it gave me feels! And ideas XD especially the Ignis trailer :)

Readers beware, this might be a fix-it fic but it won't be an easy ride for the guys. Thank you for reading!

* * *

The flinch that passes through Iris is small but it hits Gladio like a truck and he pales, letting go of her and backing away to give her space, ''Shit! I'm sorry Iris! I shouldn't…Sorry.'' Iris stares at him, shocked then started giggling and hugged her brother with a smile, ''I'm fine Silly Gladdy. Really I am.''

Gladio looked uncertain but before he could say anything Cor showed up and smirked, ''Your sister is right, and she got checked out by both Monica and Cindy when she showed up with Navalus.'' Iris twisted without letting go of Gladio to give Cor a beaming smile. She turned back and squeezed Gladio tightly before asking, ''Where's Noct? And the others?''

Gladio sighed, eyes lingering for a bit on the bruises darkening her neck before he could bring himself to relax a bit and answer her, ''They went to set up at the caravan for the night.'' Iris peeled herself off Gladio and declared, ''I want to go see them!'' before half-dragging him out of the dinner with Cor chuckling in amusement while trailing after them.

Prompto was the only one outside as they approached, the voices of Noct and Ignis drifting through the open door of the caravan. Iris laughed as she waved and shouted, ''Guys!'' Prompto turned and beamed as he saw the young girl running up to tackle him into a hug. Prompto laughed, ''Iris! It's so good to see you! How did you get here?'' Then as he dropped her back on the floor, he noticed the same things Gladio had in the dinner and lost his smile.

Iris scowled, ''I'm fine! Now where's Noct?'' she demanded with her hands on her hips. Noctis leaned out to look at the fuss and spoke up as he heard Iris asking for him, with a chuckle and a worried glance at Cor and Gladio, he stepped out of the caravan and greeted her, ''I'm here Iris. Glad to see you made it out in one piece.'' The bruises were pretty obvious but Iris was an Amicitia and Noct had more than enough experience with dealing with the stubborn family when it came to injuries.

Iris tackled the king as soon as he spoke up with her usual exuberance, ''Noct!'' Noctis smiled and returned the hug before looking over at Cor and asking, ''How did it go in the city?'' The serious expression plastered on Cor's face was an answer enough, ''The situation in the city is bad and will most likely get worse. Niflheim doesn't seem to care about the inhabitants of the city and other than a 'provisional' government made of their lapdogs, the city itself has been left to the daemons and soldiers to do what they want.''

The report from Cor put a damper on the reunion with Iris though Ignis was just as happy to see the girl as the others had. While Iris greeted Ignis, Noct quickly made a new potion and gave it to the injured girl, waiting patiently until she drank it. With her injuries fading, Noct sat down on one of the benches in the caravan and looked over to Iris, sitting beside Gladio who had an arm wrapped around her. ''What happened and how did you get out of the city Iris?''

Iris shifted uneasily and explained, ''Sir Navalus helped me. I wasn't with Jared and Talcott when they go out with Lance two days ago. I… I snuck out of the house the night of the banquet, Dad had dropped by earlier to tell Jared to pack up and be ready to move in case something happened. I happened to be at home and overheard them. '' Gladio huffed, ''You skipped school?''

Iris shook her head, ''No! My last two classes got canceled so I went back home to change, I was planning on hanging out with my friends but when I heard Dad I got worried.'' Her voice broke a bit as she talked about her father making Gladio tense up and draw her closer. ''So I told my friends I wasn't feeling well and stayed at home. I snuck out after Jared fell asleep and headed to the Citadel, I just wanted to check up on Dad. Make sure everything was ok! But instead I got dragged into the fighting.''

Noct stayed silent, only digging his nails into the palm of his hands as he listened to Iris speak. Prompto dropped to sit beside him, giving Noct a knowing glance and putting a hand over his in silent comfort. Iris leaned against Gladio, ''It was really weird, I spent most of the time protecting some of the staff but it wasn't just MTs or Nifs fighting against us! Some of the staff were all zombie like and so were a lot of the Glaives and Crownguards, it was as if they couldn't see or hear us, just standing there like statues unless a Nif ordered them to do something.''

Cor nodded, ''Navalus confirmed it too, I think we can be certain that Niflheim did use that parasite scourge Prompto suggested. It fits with what I saw while we were in the city today as well, the Glaives and Guards were both under heavy guards or chained but they looked to be themselves once more.''

Iris nodded, ''Yup! It only lasted until middle of last night then it looked like they just all woke up though the Nifs were definitively expecting it since they had all the zombie people gather in the jail or some of the old ballrooms after stripping them of weapons.'' Iris frowned, ''I hope Luche is still okay, he and some of the guards that weren't affected by whatever that was have been trying to organise a resistance against the Nifs.''

Ignis spoke up, ''Luche is quite skilled and a good leader, I'm certain he will be fine. Now the food is ready, let us eat and then Iris can continue her tale.'' He placed a pot of garula meat and veggie stew on the table with bowls and utensils for everyone to serve themselves. Iris hummed in delight when she took a bite of the stew, ''This is delicious! Thanks Ignis, we weren't able to get anything this good while hiding from the Nifs.'' Ignis inclined his head, accepting the compliment with a tinge of worry.

Iris spoke between her bites, ''Anyways, I meet up with Luche and some of the Glaives around dawn and we were able to get out of the Citadel through the secret passage hidden behind the portrait in the kitchen on the second floor. It comes out in the gardens so we were able to make our way to the metro lines and hide in the tunnels there.''

''We had to hide from a few MT patrols afterwards but we were able to make our way to the Galahad district where Navalus found us. I heard about Dad and King Regis there.'' She looked up sadly at Noct, ''I'm so sorry Noct.'' Noct looked down, ''Thanks Iris.'' Iris bit her lip, she wanted to say more but didn't seem to know what.

Cor spoke up, ''Monica told you I went with Lance to check out the city after leaving you at the Tomb. '' Cor waited for a confirmation before continuing, ''We were able to get back in the same way Lance got out and spent most of the day looking around the city. Like I said, Niflheim doesn't seem to be interested in what happens to the citizens of Lucis; the soldiers were pillaging without care.''

The Marshall gritted his teeth, ''Officially it was all under the order of Emperor Iedolas, they were trying to find any escaped members of the council and of the army but really it was just an excuse for the soldiers to run wild and terrify the civilians.'' He shook his head as he picked at the stew.

Gladio growled, ''Those bastards!'' Cor nodded, ''They weren't killing anyone at least but a lot of homes were destroyed as warning. It got worse after night fell, Insomnia has always been protected by the Wall and it kept daemons out no matter how dark the streets were but without it…''

Prompto spoke up, ''Without it, Insomnia became filled with them…'' Both Cor and Iris nodded, ''It was horrible, the Nifs didn't bother patrolling the streets. They kinda disappeared right before sunset and left only the MTs to stay on the ground. We weren't sure why and stayed hidden but others didn't…'' Iris said, looking down at her hands.

Cor took over, ''They released daemons into the streets without warning. I'm glad we listened to Navalus' suggestion about setting up a warehouse of anti-scourge vaccine and weapons within each district in case the Wall ever fell. I don't think many would have survived otherwise. Navalus was also responsible for getting the words to everyone to head there right before sunset.''

''Even with those thing we still ended up having to fight most of the night, not all civilians got the message or managed to get out in time and we couldn't just sit by and watch people die.'' Declared Iris with a self-assured nod. She grinned and chirped, ''That's how I got injured, '' she pointed at the now useless bandages, ''by taking out some of the daemon that were attacking though… the MTs kinda got the drop on us. But at least we got to meet up with Cor!''

Noctis smiled at her, ''I should be thanking you then, for protecting the citizens of Insomnia.'' Iris blushed and stammered, ''N...No need, I was just doing my duty as an Amicitia…'' Prompto snapped a picture of her like that before speaking up, ''Wont the Nifs go after the warehouses now that they know of them? And we still haven't heard how you got out. Were Dad's smuggling routes still open?''

Cor winced, ''No, some of the daemons sought refuge underground, including the smuggling routes we had been using. Clearing them out would only have lasted for a day or two and with limited supplies to destroy the daemons completely it was better to find another way. We ended up having to steal some Nif uniforms and a car to get out. ''

''I don't think they noticed it but I doubt it will work again. Lance decided to stay behind to help empty the warehouses to somewhere more secure within Insomnia and to find another way to get civilians out of the city if we need to evacuate everyone quickly.'' A knock on the door drew their attention away from the conversation and a voice rang out, ''Cor?''

Cor had tensed up at the knock, hand going to his sword but he relaxed as he heard the voice. He opened the door and in came Navalus, greeting everyone with a calm smile and bowing before Noctis. ''I'm glad to see you safe Noctis. You have my deepest condolences for the loss of your father, he died protecting the Crystal.''

Navalus' voice was hoarse, having never quite recovered from the massive burns that he had suffered saving his friend Regis during the initial attack on Galahad by Niflheim. The fire had reached deep into his throat and caused too much damage for even the King's elixirs to heal, leaving Navalus with severe scars over his whole body, a perpetually hoarse voice and a face disfigured by melted features.

Noctis rose and greeted the Galahadian elder with a firm handshake, ''No need to bow to me Navalus, please sit. Were you with Dad during the attack?'' Navalus allowed himself to be guided to sit beside the new king, ''Only for a short time I'm afraid. He ordered Pelna and Luche to get me out of the fighting. '' Noctis sat beside the older man, Cor going to sit on Navalus' other side, and asked, ''Not to get you outside of Insomnia?''

Navalus grinned, amused as he replied, ''I decided to disregard that part of his orders and thankfully Luche and Pelna agreed to let me do what I could to keep our people safe while they returned to help.'' Noctis looked shocked at Navalus then felt a laughter bubble up until he was gasping for breath as he cried. ''I'm sorry.'' Noct gasped, turning away from the 2 older men sitting with him.

Prompto was quick to rush to his side, Ignis and Gladio starting towards their beloved with a worried expression but stayed where they were when Navalus motioned for them not to move. ''There is no shame in mourning for the ones you love Noctis.'' Navalus stopped, putting a hand on Cor's knee and looking over at Iris and Gladio.

''Regis and Clarus were both great men who wished only to do well by their duties and their family. They fought to protect as many as they could but ALSO to survive and return to their families.'' Navalus stressed, ''Niflheim has taken much from us, home and hearth, don't let them take away your right to mourn and remember those you have lost.''

Iris is biting her lips while tears trail down her face, after a few moments she turned to hide her face in Gladio's chest. The big brother curled around her, bringing her close as they mourned their father and the loss of their home. The caravan stayed silent except for the sniffles and sobs that came from the Amicitia's and Noctis.

Ignis served them all tea, sitting beside Gladio and Iris as he gave his silent support in his own way. As the crying winded down to the occasional tears and the atmosphere felt lighter, the adviser told Cor and Navalus, ''We plan on heading to Lestallum and waiting for Lady Luna there.''

Cor frowned, ''You seem certain of her safety.'' Ignis nodded, ''We had an interesting meeting last night or rather Prompto did. A man who called himself Ardyn Lucis Caelum and who could wield the Royal Arms showed up and asked Prompto to deliver a message. The message was ' **The Oracle will awaken the Astrals physical form soon, the Chosen King must reach them before the Emperor's madness does.** ' ''

Cor turned to look to Prompto, ''Are you certain of what you saw?'' Prompto nodded, ''Absolutely, he was wielding the Crystal's magic and he had the same sword and axe that Noctis now has.'' Cor rubbed a hand over his face, swearing under his breath, ''This could complicate things. If this Ardyn is truthful then Lunafreya is safe and will be heading to seek out the Astrals.''

Ignis nodded, ''That is what we believe.'' Noct shifted and looked over at Iris, ''We can bring Iris with us to Lestallum, I'd offer the same to you Navalus but I doubt you'd take my offer.'' The Galahadian Elder smiled and tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement. ''Indeed, I will be staying to help Cor as will many of my people once I send word to them. Lucis does not stand alone.''

Noctis ducked his head, struggling to keep his emotions in check. He only partially succeeded as he thanked Navalus, his voice filled with gratitude and new tears running down his cheeks to be wiped away by Prompto. Cor looked around the caravan then at the time, ''It's getting late. We'll leave you to rest. Come see me before you leave tomorrow.''

Iris got up too, smiling at Gladio when he frowned and reached out to her, ''I'm just going to go grab some clothes Cindy's letting me have then I'll be back.'' Gladio relaxed and nodded, ''Right, I guess you didn't get to pack anything when you snuck out. Thank Cindy for me and we'll go shopping for things in Lestallum.'' Iris grinned, hugging Gladio before following Cor and Navalus out of the caravan, leaving the four friends alone.

Ignis reached out to Gladio, kneeling behind the man and hugging him. ''Do you need anything darlings?'' He looked over at Noctis. Gladio leaned into the touch, closing his eyes for a bit as he took in the comfort Ignis so easily provided for them before shaking his head. Noctis did the same, he and Prompto moving to join in on the hug.

Ignis hummed and nodded, ''Then we'd best get ready for bed. I assume you'll be sleeping with Iris tonight?'' He looked down at Gladio, carting his fingers through the soft hair. Gladio nodded, ''Sorry, I just…'' Prompto nuzzled against his neck, ''No need to apologise Gladdy. We love you.'' Noctis nodded and leaned forward to kiss Gladio chastely.

Noct grinned and got up, pulling the big guy after him, ''Come on, let's grab a shower before Iris gets back.'' Gladio allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, smiling as he was led by his king towards the small bathroom. They stopped only long enough to grab some clean clothes and the tossed toothbrushes Ignis sent their way before disappearing into the small space.

Ignis smiled as he watched Noctis and Gladio head off to shower, he turned to look at Prompto and offered, ''What about you Prompto? Do you require something?'' The blond shook his head and turned to face Ignis, kneeling on the floor while Ignis sat on the bench. ''Nope but what about you? You've been all over the place, making food and helping out with the tea.'' Ignis smiled, ''I am fine, I have lost no one close to me unlike all of you.''

Prompto shifted so he could lay his head down on Ignis' knees, he looked up at the adviser with a serious expression, ''That doesn't mean your comfort isnt important Ignis. You deserve as much love and care as you give to us.'' Ignis blushed, beaming at the rarely spoken rule that they all followed since they had become a polyamorous group. He leaned down and kissed Prompto deeply in thanks before handing the slightly euphoric blond his own toothbrush. ''We all need to get ready for bed.''

Iris returned shortly after Gladio and Noctis walked out of the bathroom, red-faced but clean. She joined Noctis in a game of King's Knight as Gladio read his novels while keeping a watchful eye on the door. Prompto slipped into the shower and came out to join the two in their game with a challenge. Ignis smiled at seeing them so lively, disappearing for a short while to clean up before joining Gladio to plan how to get to Lestallum safely.

Iris started yawning an hour or so after she returned and Ignis was quick to pick up on it, ''I believe it's time for all of us to retire. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.'' Prompto groaned but didn't protest more than a token bit as they all separated to their beds. Gladio and Iris took one of the queen size mattresses while Noctis and Prompto shared the other one. Ignis turned one of the kitchen benches into a small bed with practiced ease, checking quickly that all the windows and the door was locked before slipping under his covers with a murmured, and answered, goodnight.

 _Noctis opened his eyes, he was standing in the Throne Room. He was sitting on the Throne, looking down at the faceless people who bowed towards him. Noctis frowned, there was something wrong with this but what?_

 _He got up from the Throne and walked down the stairs, the figures stayed faceless and motionless. He reached out and touched one, it broke into black mist to disappear against the cold floor. ''What's going on?'' Noctis muttered._

 _Something moved at the edge of his vision, fleeing through the doors and Noct followed. The door didn't lead to the hall as it normally would, instead Noctis found himself stepping into a battlefield. Shouts and screams pierced the air, magic struck left and right and Noctis had to dodge a bolt of lightning._

 _Noctis stumbled back against someone, turned and stared, ''Crowe?'' The magic specialist of the Kingsglaives swore, tugging the prince-king behind her as she drew up a wall around her. ''The hell are you doing here Princeling?'' Noctis threw his own shield up as a bomb exploded nearby._

 _''Dont know! Where is this place?'' Noctis responded, following the Glaives lead as she moved through the fighting with frightening ease, her daggers and magic clearing away almost all enemies that stood around them. Crowe gritted her teeth, grabbing the prince-king's arm and warped away to the ruined edge of a long fought over wall._

 _She pushed the raven haired boy against the ruined battlement, kneeling down to join him in the unreliable safety of the stone. ''This is one of my nightmares. You shouldn't be here Princeling. Astrals! You've never showed up in one before!'' Noctis stared at the red rimmed eyes that belonged to Crowe then looked around him to stare at her nightmare._

 _Noctis bit his lips, reaching out to grasp Crowe's arms. ''Then let's get rid of it.'' A red light pulsed from the mark Carbuncle had given him and it washed away the battlefield until nothing remained except the Galahadian Market where they had first met. Crowe stared in shock, ''What?''_

 _Noctis shrugged, ''Don't ask. Carbuncle gave me his blessing and I think this,'' He waved his hand around, ''is part of the power he granted me.'' Noct got up, drawing Crowe with him and pulled her over to a free table with steamed skewers of meat just waiting to be eaten._

 _Crowe hesitated but followed after Noct, reaching out as he did to grab and taste the food. IT was amazing and Crowe closed her eyes with a moan of delight. Noct laughed, pushing some more skewers her way before he asked, ''How's Luna?''_

 _Crowe opened her eyes to meet Noct's before she replied, ''Not so good. We heard about Insomnia and your dad btu we've had to deal with our own set of problems.'' Noctis waved off the concern, ''What happened? Are you guys safe?''_

 _Crowe nodded, ''Long story, short version is the escort Niflheim sent to help keep the Oracle safe tried to kill us. They poisoned Luna, nothing fatal but she's been sick as a dog for the last three days. Nyx and Libs are trying to get the antidote but we haven't had much luck.'' She looked at the skewers but didn't take one._

 _''They were planning this all along, weren't they?'' Crowe asked softly. Noctis nodded, ''We think so, Dad probably suspected something like this might happen. He took precautions but they weren't enough.'' Crowe got up violently, swearing as she started pacing around the empty market. Noct let her and waited until she calmed down and returned to the table._

 _She looked squarely at him and declared, ''I don't know if any of this is real or if either of us will remember this when we wake up but I promise you. We won't let Luna or you down!'' Noctis drew on his royal training, keeping his facial expression serious as he nodded, ''Then Glaive Crowe, I have orders for you and your fellow Glaives. Protect Lady Lunafreya and bring her to Lestallum. We will be waiting for you there.''_

 _Crowe opened her mouth to answer then shattered, leaving Noctis alone in the market. Noct leaned forward, pressing his forehead to the rough wood of the table and whispered, ''Please be safe, all of you.'' He turned around, looking at the empty place before getting up. A door with Carbuncle's mark adorned the edge of a shop where no door stood in the real thing, Noctis opened it and passed through._

He woke to Gladio's soft snore, Noctis shifting to look at where his Shield laid curled around his sister peacefully. A quick glance showed him that no one else was up and that they were all peacefully asleep. Noct sighed in relief and closed his eyes. He could sleep a while longer.

* * *

A/N: So a few extra things to clarify some stuff:

1) The warehouses that Cor mentioned were created by Navalus and Lance with the direct help of Regis and Noctis without passing through the council. Officially the warehouses were filled with extra food and supplies in case of major emergencies such as a major fire or other disaster but unofficially it was filled with vaccines, medicines including potions and weaponry that would combat Niff forces MT, daemon or humans soldiers.

2) Carbuncle granted Noctis the dream walker ability, aka lucid dreaming. He still has no control over it but it basically allows him to get in touch with anyone he wants to while they are both dreaming.

3) Navalus is Nyx's Uncle I introduce in the fall of Galahad 2 part drabble from Ten years of adventures. When he finally recovered from his injuries, he was given a post as liaison for the refugee of Galahad within Insomnia along with other surviving elders of Galahad. He also served with the Kingsglaive as a trainer for both magic and weaponry though he doesn't wield magic himself.

4) A bit after the surge in refugees from Galahad, it became obvious that there were major communication issues between each districts and the different groups within the city itself. As such an emergency communication system was created to help communication. It's basically a system that uses a permanent self-contained and self-powered system of small screens and speakers installed in all major community and apartment buildings. Think twitter length messages dedicated to emergency directives and you have a good idea of how it works/looks.


	10. Chapter 10

A hearty breakfast waited for them next morning, curtesy of Cor and Navalus with some help from Ignis. Noctis ate absentmindedly, thinking over the strange and yet overly vivid dream he had overnight. ''Are you alright Noct?'' Whispered Ignis as he refilled the coffee cup in front of the young king, resting a hand in concern on his shoulder.

Noct leaned into the touch, ''More or less, I think I figured out what Carbuncle's blessing was, or at least part of it.'' Prompto jerked up with interest, ''Really? What is it?'' Noct hummed, ''I wandered into Crowe's nightmare and had a chat with her. She told me that Luna got poisoned by Niflheim and they were attacked by the Nif escort.''

The sound of forks being put down suddenly filled the caravan and everyone starred at Noctis. ''Poisoned?'' Exclaimed Iris, bringing her hands up to her lips. Noct nodded, ''It's not fatal from what Crowe said but she's been sick for the last few days, and Nyx and Libertus are trying to find the antidote. I told them we'd be waiting for them in Lestallum.''

Cor cleared his throat, ''About that, it might be harder than expected to get to Lestallum.'' The stares shifted from Noct to Cor, who half bowed in apology. ''We received news from the hunters last night. Niflheim have set up several bases on Lucian soil including one not far from here. From the locations we've been given it's clear that they plan to have a strangle hold on Lucis as soon as possible to prevent any resistance from happening.'' Navalus nodded and added, ''They already have a blockade in place through most of the major roads within Lucis.''

Gladio swore, ''They aren't messing around now!'' Cor nodded, ''Our best bet would be to destroy this new base before it gets fully operational. Doing so should break the blockade they have in place in Duscae and allow you safer travel to Lestallum.'' Ignis sat down beside Noctis, still keeping a hand on him.

Prompto leaned back, ''So on one hand we got Noct's new cool power that told us Luna is alive but sick and on the other with have the Niflheim army moving in quickly and making things difficult. What's the plan?'' Cor took a bite of his pancake before proposing, ''Most of the Crownguard are on the other side of the blockade and won't be able to help us. I suggest we split up in two teams and take down the base as quickly and quietly as possible.''

Ignis hummed, taking a sip of his own coffee before acknowledging the plan, ''That seems wise. I suggest we split up as follows. Gladio, myself and Iris and then Marshall would go with Prompto and Noctis.'' Cor nooded, finishing his plate before getting up, ''I have no problem with that. I shall go and make preparations. Let us meet in an hour. '' He waited for the nods of the boys and Iris before heading off.

Once the door closes on Cor, Gladio turned to Iris with some worry, ''You going to be okay fighting?'' Iris glared at her brother around a mouthful of pancake, swallowing rapidly to remind him, ''I'm an Amicitia just like you Gladdy!'' Navalus smiled and added, ''She is indeed and has proven her worth in Insomnia.'' Iris nodded, crossing her arms and looking serious as she glared at Gladio.

Gladio was quick to backtrack and muttered an apology between his bites to the amusement of Ignis and Noct who were still watching silently. Ignis turned to Noct, asking, ''Are you well? With the news of Lady Lunafreya I mean.'' Noctis had a faraway look in his eyes for a moment before he sighed, ''I am worried but Crowe was clear about Niflheim wanting Luna alive and I trust them. They'll get Luna to Lestallum no matter what. We just have to be there when they do.'' Ignis smiled and tangle his hand with Noct's, giving a gentle squeeze before returning to their breakfast.

An hour later Ignis was putting away the last of their new restorative stock and closing the trunk of the Regalia, Navalus had left to keep an eye on Insomnia with Cid a while back and they were simply waiting on Cor showing up. The Marshall did so with a high whine as he drove a sleek looking motorcycle up to stop beside their small group.

Iris grinned and shrieked as she moved to examine the bike, ''You have a motorcycle? Since when?'' She demanded. Cor chuckled, ''Yes I do, it was a gift from King Regis when I got my licence. Cid was doing some modifications before the Treaty. Thankfully for me, I never got around ot coming and picking it up.'' He looked over the four men looking slightly tense as they waited for his directions.

Cor nodded to Noctis then asked, ''If you're all ready then we might as well get going. We'll park away from the base then split up.'' Ignis finished his Ebony, throwing his can in the recycling bin before he motioned for everyone to get in the Regalia, ''Then I shall be following your lead.'' Noctis opened the door to allow Iris in before slipping in the back seat with Gladio going to the other side.

Prompto didn't get into the car right away, looking worried as he looked at Cor, there was something off with his uncle. ''Hey Uncle!'' Cor turned around with a grunt, ''Are you alright?'' Prompto asked. Cor tensed up and looked surprised, he looked down at his bike before he answered, ''I will be. Thanks for worrying but you're going to need to focus once we get started.'' Prompto nodded, not quite convinced but he trusts his uncle to take care of himself.

The drive is short, maybe half an hour, before Cor pulls off to the side of the road followed closely by the Regalia. The base and the blockade are visible in the distance, standing stark grey and foreboding among the green trees and plants of Duscae. Noctis could feel anger stirring from where he had pushed it aside to simmer until he needed it.

''What's the plan Marshall?'' Asked Gladio as he came to stand beside Cor, looking at the steel and cement walls of the base. Cor took a deep breath before he gave his orders, ''Gladiolus, Ignis, Iris; you will serve as a distraction for us. Attack the front gate but be careful! Your goal is simply to distract them.'' The three named nodded in understanding and Cor turned to Prompto and Noctis.

''As for us, we'll go around to the northern side of the base, there is a passage we'll use to get inside the base. From within we shall take down the forces stationed there while heading to the gate to open it once and for all. Questions?'' Cor told them. Prompto and Noctis shook their heads, each doing a check of the curatives they had on them.

Gladio looked over at his sister and asked, ''Iris, do you have a sword?'' The girl nodded with a grin, then turned to Cor expectantly, ''Cor has it!'' Cor chuckled and quickly took out the sword Iris had scavenged from the Citadel. It was a longsword almost as long as she was tall but Iris took it with ease and swung it a few times just to prove it to Gladio.

With Iris armed and the rest of the curatives properly shared by Ignis, they split up and each group headed towards their objective. Noctis, Prompto and Cor moved around the edge of the road until they reached the base's northern wall at which point they left the road and walked through the hills until the Niflheim base loomed over them.

It didn't take long to find the small passage between two cliffs that allowed the three men to sneak into the base. Prompto shuffled sideways following Noct and chuckled, ''Good thing Gladio didn't come. I don't think he could have fit.'' He whispered when Noctis looked at him with a question in his gaze. Noct grinned and nodded as he tried to imagine the sight of his massive Shield wriggling through the small opening.

Cor glared at the still young boys and they both ducked their head in embarrassment, ''Sorry.'' Whispered Prompto. Cor nodded and turned to look at the area around him, he could hear several soldiers moving around. Prompto summoned his sword and whispered, ''I hear 15 MTs.'' Noctis brought out his own sword and both boys looked at each other with a confident grin.

Cor sighed and warned, ''Be careful. Overconfidence will be your downfall.'' The warning went mostly unheeded as Noctis warped away from them the moment the MTs came into view. Noct grinned as he found himself face to face with his targeted MT, Engine Blade deep in its chest. The king yanked the blade out and kicked out towards the MT on his left.

Gunshots blasted through the air as Prompto took out the Mt on Noct's immediate right. Cor sighed and ran forward, drawing his katana as he targeted the MTs further away from Noctis, those would have time to react before Noctis or Prompto could get to them. His katana cut through the armor like it was paper.

The best thing about fighting MTs, the only real thing in Cor mind, was how they dissipated into smoke, scourge mist, when exposed to light or sufficiently damaged. It meant less chances of getting trips over by a body while fighting. Cor sliced horizontally, cutting through chest armor and forcing two MT back several steps and gave Prompto a clear shot.

Prompto stayed back, only moving up when he needed to in order to get a clean shot at an MT drawing too close to comfort. He aims for the head and joints as much as possible. Prompto grinned as he takes a selfie, aiming his gun behind him with the help of his camera screen before taking the shot, both of them.

Noctis flitted from one side of the fight to the other, leaving behind shadows of crystal blue as he warped. Warp strike, slice down then sideways. Let the sword disappear and bring out the lance. Swipe across and behind to push the MTs away then strike! Dagger flew through the air, points to warp at with a vengeance. As dust settled across the area, Noctis glanced at Prompto, no injury, and Cor, no visible injury but… ''Cor? Are you hurt?''

The Marshall's body was tense and hunched over even as the man kept watch for any reinforcements. At Noct's call, Cor turned to stare blankly at the king for a long moment before he seemed to recognize what was in front of him, ''My apologies, your majesty. I am fine merely tired, more so then expected.'' Cor gave a half bow to Noctis with a sigh.

Noctis frowned, moving closer to Cor quickly and seeing Prompto do the same. ''Are you certain you are unharmed Cor?'' The man nodded then winced, sighed and told the two men, ''I'm fine, really. It's simply been a few days since I've been able to sleep properly.'' Prompto came to stop in front of Cor with his arms crossed and offered, ''You could go back if you need to rest? I'm sure Noct and I can handle this together. You don't look so good…'' His uncle looked paler then he had been when they had arrived.

Cor shook his head, ''I'm fine, Prompto. You boys concentrate on keeping yourselves safe and I'll worry about me. Got it?'' He didn't wait for an answer before moving off, ''Come on, the faster we get the gate open the better. For all of us.'' Noct and Prompto shared a worried glance and wordless promise; they would both keep an eye on Cor while fighting.

They walked down some stairs and Cor quickly motioned for them to hide against the rock walls with a sharp gesture, he whispered, ''Snipers on the railing. Noct take them out. Prompto you're with me, we'll take down the axemen.'' Noct shifted forward until he could see the three snipers patrolling the overhead walk way and nodded. Prompto replenished his ammo and patted his uncle on the back to indicate he too was ready.

Noctis struck first as was his habit, warp striking and thus killing the first of his three targets. The MTs turned in unison towards him, lifting their rifles and pointing it at the king without hesitation. Twin shots rumbled through the air towards Noctis and he allowed the magic of the Crystal to warp the dimension around his body, letting the bullets pass harmlessly through him. Taking them down was easy, a lance strike from above and a quick switch to his sword to finish the third one within the space of a single breath.

As Noctis warped away, Prompto stepped out into the open and shoot twice in rapid succession, his bullets slammed against the thick armor plating of the axemen and made it stumble backwards. Cor moved quickly, following the younger men's lead and he felt the surge of energy that came from fighting fill his body and he jumped forward the last few steps. He drew his katana midair and aimed the sharp edge straight for the neck joint.

Cor landed lightly on his feet, seeing the severed head bounce on the ground beside him before he turned toward his next target with a grin that fade as he stumbled forward when a sharp wave of pain stabbed into his head. Prompto saw his uncle stumbled and shouted, ''Uncle!'' quickly firing one last time into the now-shattering head of an axeman before sprinting to his side.

Cor gritted his teeth and used his stumble to roll under the axe of the MT, he barely got to his feet again before another wave of pain blinded him. Prompto didn't hesitate, seeing the three remaining axemen all head straight for Cor and he aimed at their legs as he slid on the ground. Prompto didn't stop firing until his gun ran dry, the bullets slamming and, thankfully, destroying the extremities of the MTs and sending them to the ground. Prompto scrambled back to his feet and put himself squarely between the still moving MTs and his staggered Uncle.

Noctis heard Prompto shout and saw his destructive slide across the open area to finish beside Cor. The axemen were still crawling towards them and Noct growled. He called up the Sword of the Wise and found himself dropping on top of the moving MTs with sure strikes to their vulnerable backs. As soon as the last axeman dissipated into smoke, Noctis grabbed a potion, turned and handed it to Cor with a harsh, ''Use it. Now.''

Cor's hand was trembling as grabbed the extended potion and it took two tries before he managed to crush the fragile glass bottle. The potion worked quickly, soothing the headache and releasing the tension from his exhausted body. He looked ashamed when he finally managed to straighten from his hunched position and looked up at his nephew and the young king. ''Thank you.''

Noctis glared at Cor for a moment, carefully checking for any leftover tension or pain Cor might be trying to hide from him, he couldn't see any though it did not mean it was gone only better hidden than before. Noct relaxed and asked gently, ''What happened and are you alright to continue?''

Prompto hovered beside his uncle, worried as kept watch over the two men as they talked. Cor glanced at Prompto, noting how watchful he was and he sighed, ''I'm sorry for worrying both of you, I guess I over did things and didn't get enough rest. I'm fine for now, we've cleared most of the base out already.'' Noctis raised an eyebrow in disbelief and Cor offered a bow in apology. Noct sighed and decided, ''Alright but you're letting us do most of the work from here on out. Keep a watch for any reinforcements we missed but don't fight unless you absolutely have too. Understood?''

Cor grimaced but nodded, ''Yes your Majesty.'' And followed Noctis and Prompto as they moved towards the heavy gates of the base. Noctis was right as there was only 2 MTs left in the base and they were easily taken down without needing Cor to fight.

-with the other group—

As they watched Cor lead Noctis and Prompto away, Ignis, Gladio and Iris started planning their attack. From their location, Ignis could make out three of the bipedal Magitek Armor standing guard at the front gate and the blockade. There are at least two dozen MTs patrolling around and half a dozen human soldiers as well, as all which would need to be dealt as they created the requested distraction.

Iris stayed behind the two older men as they headed closer to the base, she listened carefully as Ignis and Gladio discussed the best way of creating a large distraction while keeping the risks at a minimum for everyone. ''I say we take out the Magitek's first and then use the explosions from the machines to keep the soldiers attention on us.'' Proposed Gladio.

Ignis frowned and shook his head, ''That's too dangerous, we could easily get caught in the explosion or in the cross fire from the soldiers. The Magitek are dangerous but slow, I am more worried about the MTs and soldiers, there are too many of them to take all at once.'' Iris kept listening to them but her eyes were on the gate and the way that one Magitek Armor was patrolling its designated area.

It kept moving just out of sight from the rest of the forces for almost exactly 45 seconds with every round it did. 45 seconds was plenty of time for her to pull off a takeover but only if she could get to that boulder without being seen. Glancing back at Ignis and Gladio, whose attention were not on her right now, Iris made up her mind and slipped away.

She followed the trail of brushes that ran across the field every few hundred meters, running from cover to cover every time the patrolling MTs looked away (it happened every 15 seconds like clockwork, they were mostly machine after all). Iris grinned and plastered herself against the boulder, out of sight from everyone and counted, if she was right then… Right on time!

The lone Magitek Armor lumbered around the side of the boulder, Iris waited until every part of the bipedal machine was clear around the boulder before she moved. She jumped unto the joint of the leg as it landed near her, using it as a jumping point to clamber all the way to the domed control seat. Iris grinned, looking through the silvered glass toward the pilot and smashed the hilt of her sword doing. Once, twice and then third time's the charm as the glass broke. 40 seconds left.

The pilot flinched away from the falling glass, a shocked expression plastered as he watched the young teenage girl lean in without care, gripping his shirt and straight up lifting the grown man out of the pilot seat. Iris grinned as she strained to bring up the Nif soldier out of the domed area and then threw him over her shoulder and towards the ground. For split second, the throw put her off balanced and she grabbed the ledge of the broken glass with her free hand, wincing as it cut into her palm.

Iris glanced down once she was stable, the Nif was motionless on the ground, and she grinned pleased with herself as she slid into the seat carefully. She had less than 10 seconds to figure out the controls before the soldiers might start noticing the missing machine. Iris stared at the board, growling as she noticed that everything was written in Niflheim. ''Note to self, thank Prompto for teaching me start and stop in Nif.'' She muttered before taking her first unsteady step with the machine.

Gladio sighed and then nodded, ''Fine, we'll go with your plan. Iris, stay behind me understood?'' There was no answer and both Ignis and Gladio turned to look at the empty area around them. ''What the hell?'' Gladio grumbled, worry and panic starting to creep on him as he twisted and turned in hopes of seeing his sister somewhere.

Ignis frowned as they noticed Iris had disappeared, he wasn't too worried as the young Amicitia had proven her mettle escaping from Insomnia and Cor had not said anything against her presence. Ignis turned to look back at the base, then noticed a small shadow disappearing behind a boulder near the gate. ''Gladio.'' Ignis whispered, pointing at the boulder, ''She's over there.'' There was a hint of worry in his voice.

Gladio followed the direction Ignis was pointing in and swore, there was a Magitek Armor approaching the boulder. ''We have to go help her!'' He hissed, already summoning his greatsword and moving towards the boulder.

Ignis quickly took a hold of the man and yanked him back, causing Gladio to stumble. ''We are too far away to get to her in time and I doubt she would have gone there without a plan. We must believe in her, Gladio, and start our distraction as planned.'' He didn't wait for an answer before he started running towards the small group of MTs patrolling on the opposite side from the boulder.

Gladio growled but Ignis was right even if he ran now he would not be able to get to Iris in time to help. Gladio cast one last look at the boulder and the now invisible Magitek, before following Ignis while sending a quick prayer to the Astrals to keep Iris safe. They were right behind their targets when the Magitek Armor walked back out from behind the boulder with a broken glass dome and opened fire at the gate.

''By the Six, did she really manage to pilfer the Magitek for her own use?'' Ignis exclaimed even as he threw his daggers at the closest MT. Gladio felt a burning pride burning in his chest and exclaimed, ''That's Iris for you!'' He laughed, bringing his sword down to cleave another MT. There were only 4 MTs and they were quickly dealt with between them.

Within the few seconds it had taken them to take down 4 MTs, Iris had managed to mow down 90% of the soldiers at the front gate, leaving only a single, half-destroyed Magitek Armor and about another 6 MTs, all of which were scrambling out of the way of Iris' unsteady and wobbling aim. Gladio shared an incredulous look with Ignis before both of them heading to help the young girl out.

Ignis focused on taking out the MTs, striking from behind with his lance while Gladio went to finish off the Magitek Armor. Gladio roared as he jumped up to get more power into his downward strike, aiming for the precariously attached gun arm, taking it off and causing the machine to stumble sideways off balance. A missile flew past him, aimed straight at the center mass of the Magitek and Gladio had to turn away from the explosion.

Gladio grinned in the silence that followed, looking towards the slow moving mech then checked on Ignis. As he turned, Gladio's eyes were drawn upwards and he swore. ''Reinforcements!'' He shouted in warning. The 2 airships stopped right above them and MTs started dropping down to land around them. Gladio heard Iris swearing from within the machine and was startled to see her jump out of her mech and land beside him with a roll.

Ignis moved to stand beside Gladio, his lance secure in hand and pointed the circling MTs. He gritted his teeth as he took in the sheer numbers of MTs and then swore out loud when Iris jumped out of the Magitek . ''What is it Iris?'' He asked loudly.

Iris growled, ''The controls jammed! I couldn't get it to do anything at all.'' She took up a defensive stance beside her brother, looking uneasily around them. Gladio shifted slightly, enough so he was in front of Iris without completely masking her sight. ''Stay beside me Iris.'' He ordered gruffly.

Iris just nodded and waited, Ignis tense behind her and Gladio ready to pounce at the slightest sign of an attack. It came from their right, the MTs there lifting their guns in unison and unleashing a barrage of bullets. Ignis dropped to the ground, glancing behind to see Iris being pressed down by Gladio.

Ignis was about to risk running forwards towards the shooters when the slam of wind washed over the area and caused most of the Mts to fall down. Not wanting to risk wasting the opportunity, Ignis dashed back to his feet then towards the closest MT to spear then as they struggled to get back on their feet.

Gladio recognized the technique, and moved back to his feet, dragging Iris with him. He picked his target, an Mt that hadn't fallen, throwing himself at it with his greatsword leading the charge. It went down easily and Gladio turned to his right. The blade flashed against the sun as it plunged downwards and cut down several kneeling MTs in one swing.

Iris felt herself be pushed down on the ground, the steady and heavy weight of her brother over her only to be dragged back to her feet moments later. Disoriented, she stumbled until she could get her footing again before looking between Gladio and Ignis. Both seemed to be doing fine and she saw Prompto aim from the top of the base's wall in order to support Gladio so she went to help Ignis.

Iris and Ignis fought back to back, surrounded by MTs as they both seemed to dance among the Nif soldiers. Iris could feel the shifts in Ignis' stance that told her when to jump above him or duck around a thrust while Ignis was quick enough to keep track of her movements and incorporate them into his own.

Noctis warped ahead, leaving Cor to guard Prompto on the wall after the Marshall had unleashed his famous Lion's Roar from the battlement to save their friends. He jumped right into the fray, keeping a careful eye out for anyone moving too close to Gladio or Iris or Ignis but thankfully Cor's attack had left most MTs unable to fight back while they destroyed them.

As the last MT fired wide away from Gladio while the Shield cleaved it in two, Ignis handed Iris a potion to deal with any injuries while checking on his friends simultaneously. ''Is everyone alright?'' The adviser asked as they regrouped at the now open gate. He was answered with nods from everyone even Gladio who sported a wide cut from were a bullets had scrapped passed him. Ignis glared at the man before handing him a potion.

Prompto and Cor were walking down to join Noctis and the others when the familiar whine of an airship was heard once again. Noctis swore, ''What now?'' looking wildly around to spot the offending source. It was easy to find, a single lone airship making its way towards them with a booming voice projected from its speaker system.

''Stay right where you are!'' Declared an arrogant voice, ''Well well, if it isnt Cor the Immortal! So you survived the Citadel and the injury General Glauca gave you! Don't worry, you won't survive what I have in store. It's past time your legend came to an end.'' The airship came to hover a few meters from the ground and the hangar opened to allow a bigger than average Magitek Armor to drop down in front of them.

A/N: Does anyone remember that drabble in Ten years of adventure where Sylva talks about the side-effects from the Cure? Well if not I suggest you go and reread it before the next chapter, things are going to get very interesting : ) its chapter 15 : The Cure.


	11. Chapter 11

Noctis smirked, summoning his Engine Blade to his hand then glanced at a frowning and exasperated Cor, ''Friend of yours?'' The Marshall sighed, drawing his katana as he moved to stand beside his king, ''I wouldn't say a friend but I'm afraid I do know him. He is Brigadier General Loqi Tummelt and he appears to have an odd fixation on me.''

Prompto chuckled, gun up and aimed at the giant mech, ''Figures, Uncle gets an admirer other than Navalus and it's a Nif.'' Ignis smirked and added, ''Indeed, how unfortunate for the Marshall. '' Gladio checked on Iris quickly, she was fine and scowled at him, before moving to stand on Noct's other side with his weapon resting on his shoulder with ease, ''Guess we might as well let him know that his attention isn't welcomed.''

They had to put a temporary stop to the banter as Loqi attacked; the mech faster than anyone (except Cor) had expected and it crossed the distance between them to attack with its sawblades. Prompto yelped and had time to shoot once before having to roll out of the way of the whirling blade. He rolled back to his feet in time to see Noct and Gladio bring their swords down on the exposed wiring where the sawblade met the fuselage of the mech.

Noct swore as his Engine Blade bounced off the metal, then swears again when a bullet whizzed past his nose as he jumps away from the mech. ''Snipers!'' Yelled Iris, pointing at the top of the containers surrounding them. Ignis is quick to shout out orders, ''Noct! Prompto! Deal with them!''

Cor tries to keep an eye out for Iris as they move out of the way of the attack and calls out to her, ''Right leg!'' Iris nods and they both attack it together. Cor aims at the bottom part of the joint while Iris aims at the top. Their attacks score the metal but it's not enough to immobilize the mech just yet.

Ignis moved beside Gladio as the Shield uses the rebound of his blade to bring his sword back up for another attack, this one aimed at the exposed wires. Ignis grinned and joined in, crossing his daggers over a wire and cutting through it. The sawblade slowed down but didn't stop and both men had to jump back as the arm moved suddenly.

Noctis went to grab Prompto, ''Hang on!'' Before he warped with the gunner towards the nearest sniper. The strike was off by a bit and Prompto had to scramble to his feet as Noctis dropped him to engage the MT before it could aim at them. Noct swung his blade, he was off balance and couldn't get enough strength behind it to penetrate the armor but the blow was enough to stagger the MT.

Prompto aimed over Noct's shoulder and pulled the trigger, the force of the close range shot blew apart the face armor of the MT, exposing the daemon inside to the sun and destroying it. ''Good shot Prompto!'' called out Noct before warping away to the next sniper. With a grin, the gunner twisted and took aim at another sniper across the open space and shot it down.

Down on the ground, the three men and the lady kept their aim on the exposed joints and wires that peaked through weakened plate armor. Cor unleashed his Lion Roar a few times, mostly when Loqi started trying to aim his missile launcher, causing the mech to stagger back and giving the Lucians openings to inflict more damage on the slowly collapsing Niflheim made machine.

Iris stayed beside Cor most of the time, knowing that she was still inexperienced when it came to battles such as these. She watched out of the corner of her eye as her brother attacked Loqi's mech then twisted around to slam an approaching axeman down to the ground where Ignis speared it through the chest and used his spear to launch himself back at Loqi. It was amazing!

She got distracted by the sights of the others fighting that she didn't notice the axeman until it was right on her. ''Iris!'' Cor shouted in warning, he was too far away to get to her in time. Thankfully the warning proved enough and Iris managed to block the axe as it descended. The blow had enough strength to throw her down to her knees but she managed to keep her sword between the MT and herself.

Iris pushed back against the axe, trying to gain enough room to get back to her feet and counter attack but she found herself overwhelmed by the second swing of the large axe. The head caught right under the hilt of her sword and wretched the blade out of her hand. Iris barely dodged the third strike, rolling away, but wasn't fast enough to prevent herself from being kicked in the chest with enough force to send her flying backwards.

Iris' plight drew everyone's attention and Gladio roared in anger and worry when she was kicked down. He started to run towards her only to have to dodge Loqi's motionless sawblade and shouted, ''IRIS!'' Ignis was stuck behind the mech and too far away to help any of them and so was Cor, having been separated from Iris earlier by one of Loqi's attack.

Even Noctis and Prompto became aware of the trouble. Noct swore under his breath but he was stuck with a rather stubborn Mt. Just as he made his mind to take a hit so he could go help Iris out, Prompto shouted, ''Go help her! I've got this one!'' The gunner shot at the MT in front of Noct, forcing it back enough for the king to twist and warp away without being hit.

Noctis warped closer then, without stopping, aimed his dagger and his next warp right into the side of the axeman. He gets there just in time as the MT is about to bring down his axe on a dazed Iris. Noct tackles the axeman to the ground and digs his dagger into its neck until the MT dissipates into smoke.

Noctis pants and twist to look at Iris, ''Are you alright?'' He asked quickly, getting back to his feet and extending his hand to her. Iris winced as she nodded but grabs his hand and gets back up with his help. Her eyes widen as she looks over Noct's shoulder and he turns to look too. The four shouts of ''Noct! Iris!'' only rams the sight home, the detached sawblade falling straight towards them.

Noctis freezes, he could warp out of the way but that would mean leaving Iris to die and that is NOT an option. He starts to raise his hand, hoping he can somehow figure out how to call a barrier up even when he's never been able to do that particular trick.

Something tackles him forward and he's on the ground, nauseated and disoriented as though it's his first month of warping. Iris is beside him, retching as she grips the hilt of her sword. The loud boom of the sawblade landing right where they had been mere moments ago makes Noct dizzy. Cor is beside them almost immediately, ''Are you two alright?''

Noct nods mutely and turns to look at Iris, who was looking green and still had a confused look in her eyes. ''I'm alright, stay with Iris.'' He orders and gets back up to join the fight, leaving Cor to take care of Iris. He's determined to finish this off so they can make sure both Iris and Cor get to rest properly. ''Gladio take his leg out now. Prompto aim for the exhaust!'' He summons his lance and calls for Ignis, ''Ignis, with me! We're taking him down now!''

Gladio grunts and runs forward to do what Noct said, his sword swung with all his strength, anger and worry into the already weakened foot-ankle joint of the mech. The sword slams on the metal and with a screech of metal on metal before the joint gives away. Loqi screams wordlessly above Gladio as the mech collapses sideways and to the ground.

Prompto glanced beside him, the sniper rifle from the first MT Noct had destroyed laid right there and he drops his handgun to grab it. It doesn't take long to take aim through the sight, finding the three exhausts rising from the back of the mech and he shoots into it, correcting his aim as it started to fall.

Noctis and Ignis wait until the mech is prone on the ground before pouncing, both men jumping up into the air and bringing their respective lances straight down unto the domed cockpit and a very satisfying sound of shattering glass fills the air. Ignis backflips away from the sudden flames that burst from the cockpit and lands on the ground beside Gladio with Noctis warping down to join them.

Gladio pushes them both ahead of him with a growl of warning, ''It's going to explode.'' The explosion is strong and pushes everyone down to the ground. Gladio throwing himself over Ignis and Noct while Cor did the same for Iris; Prompto was far enough from the explosion to stay where he was without trouble.

Prompto is also the one who sees the figure run away from them towards the back of the base and away from the guys. ''He's running away!'' Prompto shouted down, his new rifle following the fleeing figure as he waits for either Cor or Noct to decide what to do.

Cor gets up slowly, checking on the still disoriented Iris then looking over the smoldering mechanical corpse to see Gladio pulling Ignis and Noctis back on their feet. He hears Prompto shout and swears, ''Your call Noctis.'' He helps Iris sit back up.

Noctis' ears are buzzing from the explosion and he can only just hear what Prompto shouts down from his perch. He's on his feet when Cor tells him to decide and the decision is easy after glancing at Iris, ''Let him go. We got what we came for.'' Hopefully he won't regret it but for now, seeing to Iris and understanding what the hell happened takes priority.

Prompto follows the figure on the scope until it disappears and only then drops down to rejoin them around Iris. She looks awful, tired and green around the edges as she leans heavily on Cor to sit up straight. Gladio is down on his knee, hands hovering unsure of what to do to help and Ignis asked, ''What exactly happened over earlier?''

Noctis shook his head, ''No idea, I didn't warp, couldn't, and then Iris grabbed me and we warped but it wasn't me.'' The confusion is obvious on everyone's faces and Iris moans out, ''Sorry, I don't know what I did… It just happened.'' She goes even greener and slaps a hand over her mouth while closing her eyes shut tightly.

Her words don't help Ignis, Cor nor Noctis to understand what happened because it was definitively Iris who warped using magic she shouldn't have access too. The silence lasts several moments, only broken by Ignis handing Iris a bottle of water and then Prompto asks, ''Hey, this might sound weird but…Did you get infected by the Scourge and had to get the cure?'' Iris nodded slightly as she tried not to throw up again.

Prompto grinned widely and explains when faced by the confused looks of everyone, ''I read the report that was given to the council when they asked for clinical testing. There was a long lists of side effects but the one I remember clearly is something that had Mom stuck in the research lab for almost 2 days straight. The scourge has a bit of magic in it and the cure doesn't affect that.''

Gladio turned to stare at Prompto, ''Wait, you're telling us that people who get infected and then cured end up with magic? How the hell didn't we hear about this before!'' Cor groaned, now that Prompto mentioned it he does remember that report and he answer Gladio, ''Because we didn't want Niflheim from hearing about that possibility. There have only been 2 reported cases of a cured person ending up with magic and both cases had little magic, barely enough to say it was there.''

Cor transfers Iris over to Gladio who takes her softly in his arm before getting up as smoothly as possible. Noctis grinned, ''Guess that makes Iris the first case of warping without being tied to Dad or me.'' He reaches out to push her hair out of her face and whispers, ''Good job, you probably saved my life.'' Iris offers him a thin smile from where she is cradled by her brother.

Ignis heads out with Cor to grab their vehicles while the others finish either exploring the base for anything they might have missed, whether information or weapon wise, Gladio staying close to Iris while he looked over the barracks. Ignis returns with the Regalia with Cor following and Iris is deposited on the back seat to rest some more before they leave for Lestallum.

Gladio is the one who ends up finding something, once he was no longer checking up on Iris every few seconds, and shouts for the others, ''You'd better get in here!'' His tone is sharp, angry and horrified all at once and that's enough to bring the four men over quickly.

''What is it Gladio?'' Asked Ignis as he walked up beside the Shield. The larger man is bent over a table, papers spread half-hazardly across it and his hands are trembling. Ignis doesn't wait for an answer before grabbing a paper and starting to read it. His eyes widen the more he reads, teeth gritting together and he hurriedly scans the rest of the papers, finding similar reports as the first one.

Noctis, Prompto and Cor arrive together and Noctis knows something is wrong as he takes in the way Ignis and Gladio are acting. ''What's wrong?'' he asked as he moved up to stand beside Ignis. Noct reaches out for one of the paper but Gladio snatches his wrist and shakes his head before muttering, ''Better not.''

Ignis took a deep breath and then explained in a soft, overly calm voice, ''It would appear that Ravus was being held here until an hour or so before our arrival.'' Prompto gasped, looking between Ignis and Gladio, ''Was he okay? Where is he now?'' Gladio growled and suddenly slammed his fist down on the table, scattering some of the papers around as he shouted, ''Of course he wasn't okay! Those bastards were torturing him!''

Silence reigned for a few moments after the outburst until Cor broke it, ''Getting angry will not help him right now. You must all head to Lestallum as planned and await the Oracle there.'' His words and stance told a different story then his composed tone. Cor was seething with anger as he moved with quick steps over to look at the scattered reports himself.

''We can't just leave Ravus alone! We have to go save him.'' Exclaimed Prompto, looking between everyone. Noctis wants to agree with Prompto, he's worried about Ravus, even more now than before but considering Gladio and Ignis' current state, downtrodden and tight with worry. ''We don't know where he is.'' It wasn't a question that Noct whispered.

Ignis nodded once, putting the report he still had in hand back on the table and then wrapping an arm around the trembling Gladio. ''The Marshall is right, we must start towards Lestallum if only to ensure Iris is seen to by a doctor.'' The reminder of Iris' state is enough to get Gladio moving, stiff and still angry.

They slowly leave the room quietly until only Cor and Prompto remain inside. Prompto was still at the doorway, not wanting to end up reading what they might have done to Ravus, at least not right now. ''Uncle?'' Cor looks up. ''Do... Do you think they'll kill Ravus?'' Prompto needs to know.

Cor looked over at his nephew, worried about Ravus and he leaves the reading for later, going over to Prompto and putting his hands on the gunner's shoulders. ''I don't think they plan to, at least not for a while. Ravus is the commander of the Kingsglaive and the Prince of Tenebrae, he's too valuable for them to kill off without a solid reason.'' Mentally Cor adds, _Doesn't mean they won't try to break him or use him against his sister or even Noctis,_ then adds, ''The Crownguards or the hunters will find where he is and then… I promise I'll contact you so we can rescue him.''

With Prompto reassured, Cor gently guided his nephew out of the room and towards the Regalia where the others waited. Noctis looked up as they came out, his gaze looking between the two before settling on Cor. ''What will you do now?''

Cor stopped before Noct, ''Get some rest then I'll do as you've ordered and keep an eye on Insomnia and the Nifs.'' Noctis nodded then smiled, ''Take care of yourself Cor and I expect regular reports from you about what you find and do.'' Cor bowed, ''Take care on the roads your Majesty.'' Noct nods and then slides into the back with Gladio and Iris.

Iris was asleep, nestled against Gladio's chest and Prompto couldn't resist taking a picture of the two siblings together. They leave the base in Cor's hand and head through the now open gates towards Lestallum and the astral Titan. ''We won't make it to Lestallum before night fall. I suggest we stop at the Coernix Station for the night.'' Suggested Ignis not long after they left. Gladio frowned, looking down at the still sleeping Iris with worry, ''Shouldn't we try to get to Lestallum as quickly as possible so Iris can get checked by a doctor?''

His worry was evident and Noct turned to Prompto, who was sitting curled up on the passenger seat pensively. ''Hey Prom, what exactly do you know about Iris' condition?'' Prompto got startled out of his thoughts, twisting around to look at Noct bewildered before his mind caught up to the question. ''Oh, not all that much but from what I do remember Mom said, it should be exactly like what happens when your dad gave magic over to a new Glaive.''

Gladio relaxed and confirmed, ''So being sick for a day or so then being ok?'' Prompto nodded, ''Yup.'' He grinned for a moment before losing his smile. It was easy to guess why Prompot was so worried and Noct decided to do something about it. ''Hey Prom, I'm going to try using Carbuncle's gift tonight to try and reach Ravus.''

As hoped, Noct's word seemed to cheer Prompto up, ''Really?'' Noctis nodded slowly, ''Absolutely.'' Prompto grinned, feeling a lot better because at least they were doing something! Well Noct was going to try but that was enough for the cheerful blond who spun back to sit properly and started fiddling with the radio.

Iris woke up a bit before they arrived at the small outpost, groggy but awake at least, to Gladio's infinite relief. The last few miles to their night's destination were spent explaining to Iris what had happened. ''Wait so I have magic now?'' Iris was all excited, eager to learn how to use it to fight or to help people.

Noctis frowned, ''Once we get to Lestallum and a doctor makes sure you're okay, I don't mind teaching you how to use it.'' Ignis cut in with a soft, ''Assuming the magic that Iris has is the same as that which Noctis uses.'' Noctis rolled his eyes and said, ''Even if it's not, I'm the best person to figure this out. Not to mention we need to know how this side-effect works. With the Nifs throwing daemons around, who knows how many people will end up with magic all of a sudden?''

There was an uneasy silence as Ignis concentrated on bringing the Regalia into the parking, by the caravan. Prompto shifted and finally said, ''Noct's right about that. This might just be a fluke but if the Nifs keep using daemons and MTs then more people are going to be exposed to the Scourge again and that means more people getting the Cure, either as vaccine or as antidote.''

Ignis sighed, ''I suppose you both have a point. I'm just…'' He rested his head against the steering wheel with a sigh. That told his boyfriends and Iris just how tired Ignis really was, and they all reacted instantly. Prompto leaned over to rub against Ignis' tense back while Noctis quickly leap out of the car to open the driver side door and was kneeling beside Ignis with worry shining from his eyes.

Gladio and Iris headed to the caravan, Gladio opening the door with the proper Gills and then sending Iris to make sure the insides were clean and ready for Ignis to rest before he returned to his beloved's side. Ignis shifted slightly to give a tired smile when the man arrived, ''I'm alright.''

Prompto shared an amused and exasperated look with the others before turning to Ignis and declared, ''Bullshit. You're not okay Iggy. So knock off the tough guy act and let us take care of you.'' Gladio didn't wait for an answer before scooping the exhausted adviser into his arms. Ignis blustered and was about to said something when Gladio smiled sweetly and whispered, ''Please.'' Ignis sighed and nodded once before hiding his face in the crook of Gladio's neck.

Noctis motioned for Gladio to bring Ignis into the caravan before he turned to Prompto, ''Come on, let's go grab what we need for supper.'' Prompto nodded, motioning for Gladio to bring Ignis and he laid a kiss on his boyfriend's cheek. ''We'll be quick.'' Prompto promised soflty.

And quick they were, Noctis and Prompto going to the nearby store to grab what they needed before returning to the caravan. They found Ignis tucked against Gladio's side in the main bed, Iris waiting for them to start making supper. Gladio kept Ignis from trying to work, cuddling him and helping him relax while they watched Noctis, Prompto and Iris chatting away and cooking.

Well it was mostly Iris who cooked with some help from Prompto, Noctis was helping by handing them what they asked for. The supper was simple but delightful, Ignis allowing himself to be taken care of by his friends and falling asleep soon after they ate, nestled against Gladio.

The day had been exhausting for everyone and they all ended up going to sleep early, Noctis remembering his promise to Prompto. The king went to sleep begging Carbuncle to let him speak with Ravus, if only for a little bit.

 _Snow whirled around Noctis as he struggled to walk forward, the air around him felt heavy and thick. ''Ravus!'' Noct shouted, he could see nothing except white around him and hear nothing but the sound of wind whipping the snow past his face._

 _It got colder and colder, Noctis pushing forward to find his friend and Luna's brother. He lost track of time, focusing only on two things and ignoring the bitter cold that made him shiver until he couldn't any longer. He had to find Ravus….._

 _''He does not wish to be found O King of Kings. Leave before you injure yourself and him farther.'' The voice sounded at his ears, as cold as the snow that surrounded him. Noct shook his head, gritting his teeth and pushed onwards. One step, then another and a third, but as Noctis pushed down on his foot to move forward he fell through the snow with a scream._


	12. Chapter 12

Noctis jerked up screaming before scrambling over Prompto to reach the caravan's small bathroom. He ignored the lurch of his friends behind him as he barely made it to the toilet before starting to throw up. ''Noct! What's wrong?'' Iris' voice sounded close and he felt a hand rest on his back and start rubbing circles gently.

Noct couldn't answer as wave after wave of nausea hit him, keeping him bent over the bowl. He heard the others whisper behind him but, between the nausea and the headache that was starting, he was in no state to understand what was being discussed.

Iris' hand left and was replaced by another rougher hand, ''I got water for when you're done.'' Gladio simply stated. Noct nodded, slowly straightening himself, expected the movement to send him back to worship the ceramic bowl at any minute. It was a relief when he didn't and when his stomach seemed to settle down to something less agitated.

The glass of water was offered, Gladio keeping his hand around it to help Noct drink, his own being too shaky to properly hold anything. ''Think you can move now?'' Gladio asked softly. Noct closed his eyes, trying to see if it was a good idea to leave just yet. The water seemed to have helped, both to clean his mouth out and to further settle his stomach.

''Think so.'' Noct muttered. Gladio smiled, slowly helping Noctis up and once he was up and moving towards Prompto, Gladio turned to flush the remains of last night's supper. Ignis was by the stove, making something on it. He turned to looked, worry filling his eyes, as Noctis was helped by Prompto back unto their bed while Iris hovered beside them.

Gladio left the washroom soon after and headed over to kneel in front of Noct after looking over at Ignis. ''Want to talk?'' He asked gruffly. Noctis leaned further into Prompto's embrace before he replied, ''Tried to get into contact with Ravus.'' Noct felt Prompto tense up with worry behind him.

Gladio reached out, putting one hand on Noct's knee and the other on Prompto's, ''What happened? You woke up screaming, that hasn't happened before.'' Prompto gave a thankful smile to Gladio before returning his attention to Noctis, who looked pale and exhausted. Iris stood a bit away, not wanting to be a bother when Noct probably just needed his boyfriends to be there for him.

Noctis frowned, his headache now pounding in his skull, ''Not sure, I think I was close to Ravus but everything was frozen and I was in the middle of a snow storm? Then I fell and woke up.'' He turned his head slowly to look at Prompto, ''Sorry…'' Prompto shook his head, ''Thanks for trying Noct.'' The blond gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Ignis choose that moment to approach, bringing with him a tray with peppermint tea in it and distributing it to everyone. ''Perhaps it might be a good idea not to call on Carbuncle's blessing so often. You are still getting used to it.'' Ignis suggested calmly as he sat down on Gladio's leg. Gladio huffed in amusement but didn't move from his position, kneeling in front of Noctis and with Ignis on his other leg.

Ignis snaked an arm around Gladio's neck and continued, ''Lunafreya told us before, did she not? Communicating with or using something from an Astral drains energy from the one doing so. '' Noctis stared at Ignis then groaned, ''I forgot about that.'' Ignis smirked and took a sip from his tea instead of replying.

Prompto hugged Noctis close to his chest, then glanced at the time and hissed, ''Its 6 am? Should we get going right away Ignis?'' Ignis looked over to confirm the time and frowned, '' It might be best to head out sooner rather than later since we wish to have Iris seen to by a competent doctor. The drive to Lestallum from here will take another 2 or perhaps 3 hours.''

Iris shifted her tea cup from one hand to the other, waving it around to dismiss any concern, ''Don't worry about me! I'm completely fine now!'' She said, ''We can easily wait until Noct feels better before going anywhere, I don't mind.'' Gladio huffed, ''Noct can nap in the car if he needs too. You, on the other hand, need to be checked soon just to be sure we didn't miss anything.''

Noctis nodded and pushed himself off Prompto slowly, ''Gladio's right, I'm alright for now so we should head out.'' Both Ignis and Gladio reached out to steady Noct as he moved and he nodded gratefully at them before moving to look at Iris. She looked just as worried as the others, Noct gave them all a smile and added, ''Please.''

With a resigned sigh, the others each nodded in turn and started packing. Noctis tried to help out but was firmly told by a worried Ignis not to move a muscle unless absolutely necessary. Noct settle back on the bed with tired amusement and watched as they all moved to pack their few belongings.

They ate a quick breakfast at the Crow's nest then left towards Lestallum without delay. Noctis leaned against the window and was soon napping in the backseat. Iris looked over at the sleeping king and asked quietly as to not wake him up, ''Do you think he'll be okay Gladdy?''

The quiet question drew the attention of Gladio, who glanced away from his book to look at Iris then to the sleeping king on the other side of the Regalia. He reached out and ruffled Iris' hair, ignoring her scowl at the gesture, ''Noct's tough, he'll be fine.'' Prompto twisted around on the passenger seat then added, ''Plus he's got us to help him!'' The answer seemed to satisfy Iris, she leaned against her brother and closed her eyes. Taking a nap like Noctis was doing seemed like a good idea.

The drive to Lestallum took a few hours but they managed to arrive before midday. Ignis drove the Regalia straight to the Leville, a hotel that was run by a branch of the Amicitia family and as such could be used freely by the group. Iris and Gladio perked up when an old man met them in the lobby, ''Jared!'' Shouted Iris with glee as she raced to hug the old man.

''Lady Iris, Lord Gladiolus! I am pleased to see you here and well.'' Jared smiled and bowed, ''Your high… Your Majesty and Lord Ignis as well. Please allow the staff here to take care of your belongings. '' Noctis and Ignis frowned at the obvious omission of Prompto in the greeting but the blond motioned for them not to worry about it.

Ignis cleared his throat and spoke up as they followed the butler into the hotel, ''Jared, is there a doctor close by who could take a look at Iris soon?'' The butler looked over with worry at Iris then asked, ''Is Lady Iris sick?'' Iris scowled and replied, ''I'm fine, really! I don't get why you're all so worried about this.'' Gladio glanced at Iris then at Jared and told the older man, ''Iris is dealing with a rare side effect from the Scourge Antidote, she needs to be checked to make certain she's not suffering from anything else.''

Jared opened the door to a series of connected bedrooms with another bow, ''I shall inquire for a doctor right away. Is there anything else you might require at the moment?'' Gladio shook his head, ''No, that's plenty already Jared. Thank you.'' Jared left them alone, Iris leaving to get her own room and talk with Jared's grandson, Talcott, after promising to stay at the Leville until they found a doctor.

Prompto barely waited until the door closed on the Amicitia butler before he hurried to the nearest bed and dropped with a pleased huff on it. ''Ah, real beds! How I missed you!'' He declared with a laugh. The oh-so-purely Prompto moment drew smiles from everyone, Noctis grinning and motioning for Prompto to scoot over before dropping right beside him with his own laugh.

Gladio and Ignis smiled, looking with adoration as their two lovers made themselves comfortable, half draped on the bed. Gladio sighed as he remembered the way Jared had brushed off Prompto at their arrival, ''I wish Jared wouldn't be so old fashioned.'' His complaint is only heard by Ignis who shifts and give the man a soft, chaste kiss on the cheek, ''His family has served yours for generations with great pride. He only wants the best for you, misguided as it may be. Prompto will win him around eventually.''

Gladio sighed, looking at Prompto with a smile, ''Prompto is the best things that could have happened for all of us.'' Ignis chuckled and nodded, gazing peacefully at the two younger men, they had just whipped out their phones to no doubt play Kings' Knight, ''You'll find no arguments from me.'' Ignis looked at the clock then straightened, ''No doubt they'll start complaining about being hungry soon.''

Gladio chuckled, ''If you're planning on finding things to cook then I suggest you head over to the market here. Dad used to swear you could find anything and everything there.'' Ignis smiled and then turned to Noct and Prompto, ''Any request for lunch?''

Prompto looked up with a grin, ''Stew please!'' Noct grimaced and told Ignis, ''Nothing with veggies.'' Ignis sighed then turned to look at Gladio. The larger man shrugged, ''I'm good with whatever.'' Ignis smiles and nods, "Very well. I shall return shortly. Do try not to make a mess." He ignores the mumbled protests as he slips passed Gladio and heads to ask for directions from the staff.

The staff of the Leville kindly give Ignis detailed direction to where the market is held and the adviser heads straight it. He can smell the innumerable wares exposed in Lestallum's market long before he hears the merchants or see any of the stalls. The air smells of spices and herbs, of fresh meat and various fruits.

Ignis walks through the stalls spread across the wide open area between winding streets and picks up what he needs to make a quick lunch and some extra snacks for later. He's paying for a handful of Accordian Honey Nuts when someone calls out to him.

"IGNIS!" the voice is frightfully familiar and Ignis twists around just in time to receive a breathtaking hug from his uncle. The first moment of the hug is a moment of pure confusion for Ignis until he realizes who's, holding him and returns the hug with barely contained desperation. "Uncle." Ignis feels something wet drip unto his shoulder and simply tightens him hold on the older man.

Ignis can see the merchant still holding his purchase, looking fondly on the pair and Ignis feels himself blush. Ventus seems to have seen it too as he clears his throat and let's go of Ignis, wiping away the tears from his eyes. "My apologies Ignis but… I'm so glad you are safe." Ignis smiled, turning to grab his purchase as he replies, "I am as well Uncle. Let us talk on the way back to my lodgings."

Ventus nods and fall into step beside his nephew, "Are the others safe?" Ignis nods once but says nothing more until they leave the busy market and are walking mostly alone through the streets back to the Leville. By the time the Scientia walk into the lobby of the Leville, Ignis has told his uncle everything that had happened since they're departure from the Crown City.

In return Ventus has told Ignis about the work he's done to help resettle the refugees, mostly within Lestallum but also in order smaller towns in the area. "Niflheim seems not to be bothered by this but they have been increasing the patrols as days go past. I believe they are looking for all of you." There was clear worry in Ventus' tone as they walked into the rooms provided by Jared.

Noct and Prompto had moved from being sprawled on the bed to being sprawled on the couch, still fiddling with their phones. Gladio was sitting by their heads, idling reading a book. They all looked up and greeted Ventus and Ignis as they walked in. "Ventus!" Noct exclaimed, pushing Prompto off him so he could rise and shake his father's adviser. "Cor told us you were here but I'm glad to see you're unharmed."

Ventus smiled back and bowed to Noctis, "Thank you for your concern your Majesty, I am pleased to see you well." Noct motioned for him to sit down and asked, "How are things here in Lestallum?" Ventus settled down in the seat indicated by Noctis and repeats what he told Ignis.

The news is good for the most part, there was a bit of friction between the refugees of Insomnia and the natives around the hatred and contempt the citizen of the Crown City bore against those from outside the Wall, but that was cleared once Niflheim soldiers started making demands on the populace. The increase in patrols by Niflheim, both in form of MTs patrolling the streets at random and the increasingly frequent airships passing over Lucis land was more worrying for Noctis and his friends.

"This is going to cause trouble." Grumbled Gladio, arms crossed and with a deep frown on his face. Ventus nodded, "Especially since his Majesty's face is known among the citizens of Insomnia. I warned them not to speak of you openly but we cannot guarantee that someone may not overhear something they should not."

Ignis had slipped into the kitchen to make lunch for everyone and he came out just then bearing food for everyone. "Gladio and I are easily recognizable as well, we have always stood beside Noctis during televised events." Ignis placed the stew-filled bows in front of each person before taking his own and sitting beside his uncle. "Niflheim may aim for us as well." He turned to Noctis and said softly, "It may be wiser to leave Lestallum rather than stay within the city."

Noctis shook his head, "I told Crowe to get Luna here. I know it might be dangerous but we can't simply disappear after I told them we would be waiting." Gladio retorted, "You being here means shit if lets Niflheim capture you. Luna will understand and we can leave her a message with someone." Noctis lowered his gaze and looked down at his food without a word.

Prompto looked between everyone then at Ignis' uncle to ask, "Why haven't the soldiers gotten to you? You're… Were his Majesty's primary adviser after all." Ventus tensed up at the question, Ignis and Gladio frowning as they looked at the older man with growing confusion. The answer came only after several silent moments, "My appearance was not as well known as Clarus' or even my nephew's but I'm afraid that they are fully aware of my presence and who I am."

Gladio slowly lowered his bowl and growled, "What exactly are you saying?" Ignis looked shocked, staring confused and horrified by the admission from his uncle. Ventus swallowed heavily, looking up to meet Noctis' gaze, "I have been stopped four times in the few days since I arrived here, soldiers addressing me by name and title. Yet they have never done me harm though they have threatened to do so. I do not know why they are acting this way or what they expect to gain by allowing me to help settle the refugees. That is the truth, your Majesty, I swear it."

Noctis searches for something in Ventus' face, anything that would tell him whether the man trusted by his father, by Clarus and by Cor is lying and he finds nothing. Noctis smiles and nods and it feels as though the air empties of the tension it held mere moments ago, "Emperor Iedolas is mad, we've always known this. Let us know if something changes but if they let you see to the safety of the Lucian people than I see no harm in their actions for the moment."

Ventus bows to Noctis, "Thank you." And Noct just waves it off. Ignis feels his own tension flee and he returns the conversation to their most pressing problem. "The question remains of what we should do now. Staying here is dangerous. One the other hand, we must rejoin with Lady Lunafreya as soon as possible and she is to come here." Gladio proposed, "I suggest we get out of here tomorrow. It'll be easier to escape Niflheim's reach in smaller towns where no one knows us."

Noctis shook his head, swallowed the bite he had in his mouth and firmly said, "I'm not leaving without Luna!" He scowls at Gladio, who matches his gaze with one of his own. Ignis frowned, "Be reasonable your Majesty, your safety is paramount. Lady Lunafreya has her escort of Glaives to keep her safe." Noct shook his head firmly.

The arguments continues for a while, Noctis firmly opposing leaving the city until they at least hear from Luna while Ignis, Gladio and even Ventus try to convince Noctis to leave for his own safety. Prompto doesn't say anything, he wants Noctis to be safe but he knows Noct, knows that the more they try to convince him to leave, the more he'll refuse to do so.

He gets a moment of pure ingenuity when he brings the empty bowls back to the kitchen and passes by the open door to the bathroom. He drops the bowls in the sink and returns to plant himself by Ignis with a beaming smile. "I got an idea!" He announced cheerfully.

The four men blink and turn their attention to Prompto, Noct frowning with his arms crossed and close to his chest. "I think we can all agree that we want to keep Noct safe as much as possible right?" Gladio nods, confusion visible in his expression and Prompto keeps going, "And the reason why it's dangerous for him to stay here is because people know what all of you look like right?"

Ignis readjusted his glasses, he had an inkling on where this was going, "Where are you getting at Prompto?" Prompto flashes Ignis a bright smile and chirps, "My point is, if the only reason why we can't stay here is because of how the three of you look then why don't we change that?" Ventus hummed thoughtfully at the suggestion even as the three men involved gaped at Prompto in disbelief.

Prompto laughed at their expression, "Lestallum has to have cosmetic shops! So we stay here to relax today and tomorrow morning I'll go out with Iris, if she's up to it, to go buy some hair coloring stuff and some make up for Noct." He then turns slightly and points at Ignis, "You are going to get a pair of contacts instead of glasses and I'll grab some more stylish clothes for you." Ignis bristles and snaps, "My clothes are perfectly fine as they are thank you very much."

Gladio laughed, "Prompto's got a point. Your clothes kinda stand out in this place not to mention, no one is going to believe you're the King's adviser if you're wearing some of Prompto's stuff." Ignis scowled at his larger lover then asks, "What about Gladio?" Gladio's expression fell slightly and he looks at Prompto with carefully measured worry.

Prompto grinned, eyes twinkling with amusement as he declares, "Gladio is also getting a makeover. We can't do much about his muscle or tattoo but with some proper clothes on him, he can pass off as a private trainer for the ladies working at the powerplant. That means wearing shirts, proper ones." Gladio groaned as Ignis smiled wickedly. Noctis is just happy they get to stay here, "Sounds like a plan, I'm good with doing what Prompto suggests."

Ignis sighed and glances at Gladio who nods before he declares, "You're amazing Prompto. This will solve our worries at least temporarily." Prompto blushed and then turned to Ventus and brought up the only other detail that might betray Noctis as the King of Lucis, "Is there a place we can hide the Regalaia? It's very fancy and easy to recognize after all."

Ventus smiles at the blond and tells him, "Your mother would be very proud of you. As for the Regalia, there is an parking area under the plant that is inaccessible to the soldiers or MTS. I will go ask Holly whether she can show you how to get to it if you need too." Prompto's blush returned in full force and mumbles, "I… I'm going to go see if Iris is okay.", before leaving the room.

Noctis smiled softly at Prompto's retreating back, he isnt the only one as both Ignis and Gladio have that same fond and loving expression on their faces. Ventus is happy that his nephew has found such wonderful men to share his love with and decides to leave them to rest, "With your permission your Majesty, I will return to my work." Noct nodded and simply said, "Thank you Ventus for your hard work. I would appreciate it if you could keep me apprised of what is happening with the resettlement."

Ventus rose and bowed, "It would be my pleasure." Turning to Ignis he opened his arms and gave his nephew another hug, "Be careful and take care of his majesty." Ignis nodded into his uncle's embrace and escorted him out of the room with a sigh.

Prompto returns almost an hour later, giving them the news that Iris had been seen by a doctor that worked with Scourge patients and thus the antidote and had been cleared. The sudden acquisition of magic was the only side effect she was suffering from, to everyone's relief. "Guess that means I'll be teaching her how to use her magic while we're here." Noctis sighed before dragging the closest person into bed with him, it just happened to be Gladio.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning saw Prompto getting up early and leaving with Iris as planned. He returned 3 hours later with three bags of clothing and cosmetics to Ignis' stunned disbelief, "Where in Eos did you find the money for all of this Prompto?" They might not have to pay for a room at the moment but there gill was limited now that Insomnia and thus Lucis stood in Niflheim hands.

Prompto answered as he unpacked the bag with Iris' help, "Don't worry about Ignis, I sold some photographs to cover the cost. We even have extra!" The photographer twirls around to hand Ignis a handful of paper gils, it's not until Ignis take a closer look at them that he realizes just how much money Prompto had just given him.

Ignis takes a hissed breath in, biting back the concern over how many pictures Prompto had been forced to sell. Pictures that Prompto had been saving for their private collection with so much cheerfulness, instead he simply grabbed Prompto and hugged tightly against him. Prompto returned the hug gratefully for a few peaceful moments before he disengaged himself to grab a small box.

"This is for you Iggy. Your new contacts and these are some clothes for you. I tried to go for chick casual since I know you aren't comfortable with the stuff I usually wear." Prompto gave Ignis the clothes and contact before showing him to get changed. He turned to look at Gladio and grinned when he saw Iris was already badgering Gladio into getting changed.

With only the prince left, Prompto grabbed the hair dyes and walked over to Noct, "Hey, got you a few choices." Noctis put aside his phone in order to take a closer look at the hair dyes Prompto was presenting to him. The three boxes were marked as 'designed for natural black hair without bleaching' and the colors were light brown, blond and red.

Noctis weighed his choices carefully, Prompto waiting patiently for him to choose. He sighed and tossed two of the boxes away, turning to Prompto and saying, "This one will do I guess." Prompto grinned and nodded, excited, "Perfect! Let's get started, it going to take a while for the color to set properly." The blond tugged the soon-not-to-be-black haired man into the washroom and set about dyeing Noct's hair.

An hour later, all four men plus Iris were walking through the streets in their new appearances. Ignis was dressed in a light blue v-shirt that was just tight enough for his musculature could be seen when he reached to grab something. His pants were skinny jeans and his face looked surprisingly empty without the normally present glasses.

Gladio looked just as strange in both a short sleeve button up shirt with nice dress pants, his scar was covered, work from Iris while Prompto took care of Noct's make up, but nothing could change the way he stood and glanced around, always on edge. "Calm down big guy, you're going to ruin all the hard work me and Iris did if you keep looking so paranoid." Prompto warned.

Gladio grumbled but he did force himself to relax. Noctis and Prompto looked completely comfortable amoung them, Noctis had chosen to go as a brunet from now on. His black hair was now firmly brown and Prompto had worked some make-up magic, thanks to some useful videos on moggletube, to change the shape of Noctis' face. Prompto and Iris were both the only unchanged of their group and Prompto was enjoying taking pictures of the starkly different appearance of his boyfriends.

They enjoyed the rest of the afternoon together, seeing the sights and even managing to meet Holly who was more than happy to allow them to hide the Regalia in the Plant's parking area. They passed, unnoticed, by three different Niflheim patrols without anyone being wiser and each encounter seemed to allow Gladio and Ignis to relax more and more once the soldiers were out of sight.

With the fear and worry of being recognized dealt with, the friends entered into a pattern. Mornings were spent exploring the city and its many streets while afternoons were spent with Iris, teaching the young Amicitia how to use her new found magic. Noctis wasn't the best teacher, being a man of more practical learning but between him, Ignis and Gladio they were able to make it work.

Iris didn't have a lot of magic at her disposal, at most she could warp from one place to another as the Glaives did but she seemed not to have enough magic to cast spells nor does she have anything similar to the Armiger for her own weapons. Iris also had a very harsh limit on how often she could warp within a day as they were quick to discover. It seems to change based on the distance of her warp but on average she could warp past 1km or the equivalent of that distance.

A few days passed by, their presence unnoticed by Niflheim troops and it allowed Noctis to learn about the state of things around his kingdom. Cor came by 3 days after they arrived at Lestallum, accompanied by Navalus, who took up a residence with Ventus in the city, and Lance. Insomnia's situation seemed to have settled down, some of the Kingsglaives and Crownguards who had been captured had been released after being questioned extensively.

Cor didn't know how much anyone might have revealed but he had been able to contact some of his men. All those released were forced to wear a choker which apparently had a bomb implanted into it and a strict set of rules they had to follow if they wanted to stay alive. Niflheim had taken out most of its human soldiers, leaving only MTs and daemons to keep the peace with the few remaining soldiers being there to direct the MTs more than keeping the peace.

The only good news was that the Glaives and Guards who had been released had been allowed to form their own patrols through the city, though they were unarmed and didnt have much powers to interfere should problems arise with any of the so called 'peace keeping' troops left behind by the Emperor. For now, the Insomnians would have to move carefully until they could formulate a plan to retake the city.

That same afternoon, Cor decided it would be a good idea to have a training session with Gladio, Iris and Noct to Ignis and Prompto's great amusement. The two men settled to watch Noct and Iris team up to try and win against Cor and Gladio, Ignis having decided to help his Uncle with the logistics of the invasion of Insomnia while Prompto took the opportunity to snap some pictures of the mock fight.

Ignis noticed the way Prompto seemed to look worryingly at the Marshall and whispered, "Is there something worrying you Prompto?" Prompto nodded without turning away, "It might just be me but…He's wearing a glove. Uncle told me he doesn't like to wear anything on his hands because it interferes with his ability to fight." Ignis frowned and looked over to Cor, he was indeed wearing a glove on his left hand. It covered everything that wasn't hidden by his long sleeve shirt which he had not changed out of despite the high temperatures that existed within Lestallum.

"Perhaps he has acquired scar he does not wish to show?" Ignis proposed, his tone made it clear he didn't really believe this to be the case. Prompto bit his lip, "I'm worried Iggy. He hasn't been himself since Insomnia fell. You saw him at the Nif base, there's something wrong and I don't know how to help him."

Ignis put aside the documents he had been reading in favor of moving to sit beside Prompto and draw him into leaning against Ignis. "The Marshall lost a lot on that day just like we did. It might simply be that he has not allowed himself to mourn for his loss and it is interfering with him in ways he doesn't fully realize himself." Prompto couldn't bring himself to look away from his uncle even as he allowed himself to draw comfort from Ignis.

Ignis opened his mouth to say more when a knock on the door interrupted him and Jared walking in with the little Talcott. Prompto moved to get off Ignis but the adviser didn't relinquish his hold on the photographer, keeping him pressed against his chest with a steady hand. Jared hid his distastes at the display of affection but Talcott didn't seem to care, running up to them excitedly. "Mr Scientia, Mr Argentum!"

Ignis chuckled and greeted the young boy, "Good afternoon Talcott, you seem excited." Prompto smiled and greeted the boy as well, "Hey Talcott, what's up?" Talcott jumped from one foot to the other excitedly, "I heard from Grandfather you're looking for really special weapons for the Prince!" Ignis nodded with a gentle smile before he motioned for Prompto to interrupt the training session and get the others to come over.

Ignis was already considering the information Talcott had provided when Prompto came back, followed by Noctis, Gladio, Iris and Cor. Ignis smiled at the young boy and asked, "Perhaps you could tell the others what you just told me Talcott?" The young boy nodded eagerly and turned to look at Noctis, who knelt to be at equal height as Talcott.

"There's this legend about a sword, and this sword is supposed to be behind a waterfall nearby!" Talcott declared, pleased with himself. Jared looked fondly on his grandchild before he spoke, "It may very well be one of the Royal Tombs you are looking for your Majesty. The waterfall I believe to be referred in this legend is by the Burbost Souvenir Emporium, there is a trail leading to it." Noctis smiled back and straightened, Gladio asked, "Want to check it out?" Noctis nodded, "Might as well since it's nearby. Luna hasn't arrived yet, I doubt us leaving for a day is going to cause trouble."

Ignis smiled and gathered the scattered paperwork, "Then I'll see to gathering what we might need for this trip." He straightened with an armful of documents and asks, "Any request while I shop? We shall leave early tomorrow." His three boyfriends shook their head. Ignis nodded and left, going first to drop off the documents to the temporary office his uncle set up in Lestallum before going to hunt down what he thought was needed for their exploration trip.

The next morning saw them leaving shortly after dawn, Noctis still groggy with sleep to the delight of Prompto who keeps chuckling and taking pictures. Ignis had insisted on leaving their disguise behind for the trip to Gladio's relief. They arrive at the Souvenir Emporium soon after their departure and park the car at the viewpoint.

"Wow! Guys! Look! Isnt it amazing?" Prompto exclaimed as he practically jumped out of the car to take pictures of the valley. The light was perfect too with the sun rising above the edges of the valley and casting shadows unto the trees and river below.

Ignis followed after their photographer, leaving Gladio to wake the napping Prince, "Indeed, it is a magnificent view." He wrapped an arm around Prompto's waist as the man snapped away with his camera. Gladio and Noctis joined them not long after, all four of them simply enjoying the beautiful sight and time together.

Noctis groaned, "We should get going, who knows how long this is going to take…" He yawned then pouted when Prompto took a picture. "Prom!" Prompto laughed and danced out of reach, returning his camera to its pouch before Noctis could grab it. Prompto grinned mischievously and tugged on the arm Noct had reached out until Noctis wound up unbalanced and falling towards Prompto. The blond swung Noctis into a dip and kisses him, sneaking his camera back out to take a selfie of them before letting Noctis get back on his feet.

Gladio and Ignis laugh at the antics of the youngest of their boyfriends, Gladio moving to look over Prompto's shoulder at the result from the selfie and stealing a kiss from Prompto while he was there. "Now that's a picture for our collection." Gladio remarked happily. Prompto nodded and put away his camera again before turning to smirk at a blushing Noctis.

"Come on! We still have to get down to the waterfall." Prompto said innocently. Noctis huffed and pointed at his blond boyfriend, "Watch out, I'm going to get you back for this." Prompto laughed and bowed before sauntering away towards the stairs leading into the valley.

The four men followed the paved path as it became gravel and dirt, it wound itself between rocks and slowly descended until they reached the bottom of the valley where the river slithering slowly by. Gladio swore as he walked around the bend, bringing his arm up to tell the others to stop. Ignis moved slowly forward and glanced over a broad shoulder to see what was the problem.

"Is that a?" The adviser whispered, Gladio nodded, "Looks like it, better leave it be and go around." Noct and Prompto shared a confused look, "Guys? What is it?" Prompto asked, just as quietly as Ignis had been moments before. Ignis turned around and replied, "A Midgarsormr has apparently nested at the river split." Ignis added when he saw the blank stare from both boys, "A giant snake that has been known to take down behemoths when fully aged."

"Oh…" mumbled Prompto, looking a bit nervous. Gladio motioned for them to move back a bit until they were back around the bend and out of sight of the snake. Once they were at a safe distance, Gladio spoke softly, "I think a found a path that goes around it but we'll have to be careful and very quiet. Got it?" He received nods from everyone and grinned, "Alright, just follow after me and stay low." Gladio took the lead, leading the three men alongside the rock cliff towards the waterfall. Every once in a while, Gladio would stop and motion for everyone to be still.

When they finally were far enough from the beast for Gladio to relax, they found themselves looking their destination, a waterfall that sprinkled water drops everywhere. At the bottom of it were four Shieldshears, crab-like beast as big as they were. Noctis eyed the beast, "One each?" Prompto nodded, "Sounds good to me!", and brought out his gun.

Ignis sighed but nodded and brought out his own lance into being, "I suppose that will work fine." Noctis barely waited for Ignis to stop talking before he warped straight at the closest of the beasts. He reappeared above his target, using the downward momentum to skewer his lance through the hard shell and into the flesh under it. The strike wasn't enough to kill the Shieldshear but it didn't draw the attention of the others.

Gladio groaned as Noct disappeared, running straight towards the closest of the crabs. He knew his sword wouldn't be able to pierce through the shell and so Gladio aimed to its leg joints. His first swing successfully severed its back leg off before Gladio was forced to jump back to dodge its massive claws swinging in anger.

Ignis clapped Prompto on his back before he joined into the fray, his lance perfect for piercing through the shell of the Shieldshears. He targeted the Shear to the very left of the group, trusting the others to be able to take care of themselves and to ask for help should they need it. His first strike was aimed at the Shear's eye, the lance piercing through the fleshy part and blinding it on one side and then Ignis twirled his lance and blinded the other one before diving under his claws to get back up on its flank.

Prompto concentrate as he changed the bullets in the gun for ones that were armor piercing. He waited until everyone had chosen their Shieldshear before aiming at the last of the beasts, the one farthest away from them and it was quickly approaching Noctis. The gun shot several times, each bullet hitting a small concentrated area at the front of the Shieldshear's body, tearing into its flesh and leaving that area vulnerable to attack.

Noctis dodged the next three strikes from the Shieldshear, warping straight above and aiming for the same area as his first strike. The shell broke apart with each attack until there was an opening big enough for Noctis to use. He traded his lance for a gun borrowed from Prompto and brought it to aim at the open flesh. He shot the gun until his impromptu ride collapsed onto the ground, its limbs twitching occasionally but Noctis was confident the beast was dead.

Gladio shouted, "Good job Noct!" even as he dodged another swipe and brought his sword down to cut off another of the Shieldshear's legs and laughed as the beats finally collapsed, unable to sustain its weight on its remaining limb. He ducked the swipe of its claws and brought his sword down on the joint of its claws. The claw went flying and was soon followed by the second one, allowing Gladio to take his time to smash the shell until he could sent his sword through its brain.

Ignis danced through the blind swipes from the Shieldshears until the crab-like being reared its claws upwards, exposing the soft underbelly that Ignis was familiar with from years of cooking. His lance was quick to pierce the softer shell and Ignis aim was perfect, allowing his thrust to pierce where he had thought its heart might be. The beast swiped once more, forcing Ignis to jump back out of reach before it collapsed, its heart no longer able to pump its blood through its large body.

Prompto smiled as he saw his boyfriends each take down their own Shieldshear with relative ease and in their own unique style. He returned his attention to his own target, changing the bullets he shot back to regular ones as the shell had cracked enough to give Prompto a good target of almost white flesh. His bullets slammed into the open flesh, shredding it with ease and Prompto cheered when the Shieldshear soon slowed down and then stopped moving completely.

Prompto turned to Ignis, "Let's celebrate by eating something dead! Crab for lunch?" He motioned to the dead beast with his usual post fight excitement, the adrenaline still coursing through his body. Ignis smiled and nodded, "It does seem like a waste of perfectly good food. Noctis can store the extra in the Armiger until we return to Lestallum."

Gladio grinned and offered, "I'll help you deshell them. Prom, Noct, keep an eye out for us. We don't want any unexpected visitors." Noctis nodded and moved over to stand beside Prompto, "Sounds like a plan. You want to take pictures? This place is pretty sweet." Prompto nodded, trading his gun for his camera within seconds and he was quick to tug Noctis away from the corpses and closer to the waterfall for the perfect photo op.


	14. Chapter 14

Finding the entrance behind the waterfall was much easier than any of them had expected, "Well, I guess that's a good thing?" wondered Prompto as he looked into the dark cave behind the falling curtain of water. Ignis answered, "Perhaps it a stroke of luck or perhaps it simply means there isn't a Tomb here after all." Noct shrugged and walked by them without care, "Guess we'll just have to find out."

The inside of the cave was much colder than expected making them all shiver and Prompto moved closer to Gladio. The bigger man smirked and tugged the smaller blond into an one-armed embrace, "That better?" Prompto grinned and nodded, "Thanks Gladio."

They weren't very far in when Prompto hissed and warned, "Careful guys, there's a lot of daemons waiting deeper in." It wasn't long after that that they came across their first batch of daemons, four puddings like creatures that were ¾ as tall as them. Noctis jerked away from them, grimacing in disgust, "They look horrible! Just like mushy desserts!"

Ignis looked scandalised by Noctis' words but didn't manage to say anything before the daemons struck. It was quickly clear that the daemons were quite different from the Goblins they had encountered before. Strikes from their weapons seemed to do little damage even those done by Gladio's great-sword being swung at full strength at the gelatinous body.

Ignis back flipped away from the flan attacking him and shouted, "Noctis! Try using elemancy! Prompto, Gladio! Gather them in one place!" Gladio grunted a reply while Prompto shouted, both of them moving closer together and working to corner the gelatinous beings. Noctis panted harshly as he moved away from the daemons and brought out his flask, filling the bottle with the bits of fire and lighting he had gathered from deposits.

"Gladio! Prompto! Get back!" Noct warns, waiting only long enough for them to clear the blast radius before he lobs the flask right at the daemons. The shock wave of released fire and lightning does the trick, the daemons shrieking as they disintegrated. Noct leaned in his knees, head down as he panted, "Okay, what the hell were those things?", he scanned around and sighed in relief when he saw no one had been injured.

Ignis did the same, scanning the three other men for injury and finding nothing serious. "I believe these were called Flans. If I recall properly, they are quite resistant to any physical attack but weak to Holy powers." He moved to Noctis, rubbing his back as Noct caught his breath, "Are you alright Noctis?"

Noctis nodded and after a minute or so straightened and smiled, "I'm good. Let's keep moving, the faster we explore this place, the faster we can get back out." Prompto hummed, tilting his head as though listening to something. "Umm, I think I got it now." He ended up saying.

"What did you get Prom?" Gladio asked curious. Prompto jumped a bit, startled and then blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry, I was just trying to scout out the place, you know like back at the last Tomb." He grinned and declared, "I think I can guide us away from daemons as much as possible and I should be able to tell when we get close to the Tomb if it's here." Prompto lifted his gaze to look at his friends and found them staring at him. He blushed and stammered, "Wh…whats wrong?"

Noctis laughed and swung his arm around Prompto, "Have I told you you're amazing today? Because you are!" Ignis chime in, "Indeed, you continue to impress every day." Even Gladio jumped on the opportunity to compliment their blushing boyfriend, "Yup, what they said. We're lucky to have you around Prom."

Prompto was flustered by the compliments and buried his head against Noct's chest and whined, "Guys!" He heard his boyfriends laugh and then their hands brushing each in turn against his back. Ignis gave him the time to get a hold of himself before he said softly, "Come now, we should on our way." Prompto nodded from where he was and slowly straightened. "I'll let you guys know where there are daemons."

They continued further into the caverns and into the deepening cold, Ignis and Gladio were both mostly unaffected by the growing cold but the same couldn't be said of Prompto and Noctis. The two younger men had not dressed for such weather, and as such were shivering significantly by the time they arrived to a crossroad of sort. The passage they had been following ended at the edge of a gigantic slide of crystalline ice.

"Damn! That's one big slide. Do we go down or go back?" Gladio asked as he knelt at the edge of the slide, aiming his clip-on light towards the bottom of the slide but his light couldn't pierce the darkness. Prompto moved carefully beside Gladio and told them, "If we go down then we'll be heading into a daemon nest. The feeling is similar to the Goblins we faced but not quite the same."

Noctis glanced at Ignis who simply nodded, indicating that Noctis should decide, then he returned to look at the ice slide. "Let's go down, we still have a lot of exploring to do before we can say if there is a Tomb or not." Ignis nodded, "Very well Noct, I suggest Gladio goes down first and I'll go last. Be ready to fight when you reach the end of it."

Gladio nodded, "See you at the bottom.", then pushed himself unto the slide. Prompto quickly followed, hissing at the cold piercing his clothes, he could hear Noctis follow behind him and knew Ignis wouldn't be far behind. Gladio landed harshly, using the momentum of the twisting ice slide to propel him away from the bottom of the slide.

Clouds of darkness formed as soon as his feet touched the ground, revealing one of the few daemons Gladio knew on sight. He shouted, "Imps!" as he summoned his sword to him and got ready to fight. Prompto heard the warning from Gladio and summoned his guns the moment he found his balance on solid ground once more.

The imps didn't wait for Ignis or Nocis to arrive before attacking. Most of the ones went after Gladio, their small and fast body making them a hard target for the slower fighter to hit. Prompto squealed as he dove forward to dodge the swipe of an imp's claw. He twisted as he fell until his gun was aimed straight at the imp's chest and grinned as the imp was blasted into pieces.

Noctis dropped down on an imp as he arrived, swearing as the daemon exploded into goo all over him. He felt something brush across his side, leaving a line of burning pain before Noctis saw the imp scamper away. He followed, throwing a dagger straight at its back. The imps seemed to multiply, jumping in and out of the darkness, leaving burning cuts and shredded clothes behind.

Once Ignis arrived, not long after Noctis, the battle seemed to take a turn for the better. Prompto finds himself taking out the imps with a lot more ease with Ignis around to keep the imps off his back. Noctis was covering Gladio, herding the small daemons into pack for Gladio to cleave into pieces. The fight still leaves them exhausted, and with both Noctis and Gladio poisoned.

"This may be a good time to rest a bit and eat. I do believe we put some wood in Noct's magic that we may use." Ignis suggested as he handed both men antidotes and potions. Prompto nodded as he shivered now that the fighting had died down. He could feel the sweat freezing on his skin, "Something warm would be amazing about now."

It doesn't take long for Gladio to build a fire and for Ignis to cook a warm snack and make warm coffee for everyone. "How big do you think the caves are?" Wondered Noct as he drank his coffee slowly. Prompto hummed, huddled against Gladio, "It's big from what I can sense. The further down we go, the more daemons are around. We're… maybe a third of the way down now?" Noct whistled, "This is going to take a while if we have to search everywhere for the Tomb. Still haven't sensed anything Prom?" The gunner shook his head.

Eventually they have to start moving again, Noctis leading the way once again. They found another ice slide, Prompto warning them about the Arachne waiting at the bottom. The slide, this time, is longer, bringing them past unreachable ledges until the four men are dropped in a larger area with an Arachne hanging on the ceiling.

It drops down almost as soon as they drop under it, the daemon dropping on Ignis with an ear-piercing screech. Ignis' reaction was a cool as the air around him, summoning his lance and allowing the Arachne to skewer itself on his lance without blinking. The Arachne's legs draw a single cut on Ignis' shoulder before the daemon goes still and dissipates into darkness.

"Woot! Go Iggy! That was epic!" Cheered Prompto with a laugh. Gladio allowed his sword to disappear, smirking as he patted Ignis on the back, "Yup, that was hot Ignis. Warmed me right back up." The slow blush that came to rest on Ignis' cheek was adorable and he turned his head away to readjust his glasses, "Nothing to it really. Let's move on." Ignis ignored the sniggers from Noctis and Prompto, simply walking slowly away.

The three men share an amused glance before going after him. The cold air keeps them from wandering too far away from each other and light chatter fills the otherwise quiet passages. As they go further into the complex series of caves, Prompto starts feeling something at the edge of his senses. It starts small, just an itch that he doesn't recognize, until it slowly grows into a recognizable thrum.

"Well I guess that answers that." Muttered Prompto. Noctis looks over, "Answers what?" Prompto grinned and told them, "There's a Royal Tomb here after all. I can feel it now so it shouldn't take us too long to get to it." The news lightens the atmosphere considerably, Noctis giving Prompto a silly bow while declaring, "Lead the way O Wayfinder of Tombs!" Prompto grins and returns the bow with his own silly one, "By your leave your Royal Excellency." He winks at Noctis before moving up to stand beside an amused Ignis.

The way Prompto takes leads them downwards, where the air grows even colder and more daemons pop up. From more Arachnes to Imps and even a few Ronins, the four boyfriends find themselves fighting in almost every cavern. The few Ronins they encounter made for an interesting fight as Gladio seemed to find the chance of fighting against a daemon that used a sword to be fun.

They were strong but Gladio had no problems predicting when the Ronin would strike and thus countering it without trouble. Injuries are minimized thanks to Prompto warning them of the daemons presence but it isn't enough to completely prevent them.

The worst part of traveling through the caves, other than the freezing cold and constant daemons, was the thin passages made of ice and rocks that link parts of the caves together. Only slightly behind the thin bridges of ice were the ledges that were scattered around and who were, more often than not, the only way down. Gladio stays close to Prompto whenever they have to go over any of those, his presence and the knowledge that Gladio could and would catch him if he slipped helping the gunner deal with his fear.

Every once in a while, the group came across proof that others had passed by before them. Ripped pieces of clothing, broken and rusted blades, dog tags and even an Oracle coin was strewn through the vast area. Reminders of those who had lost their lives walking before them. While most of the items were only slightly useful, Noctis still insisted on picking them up and storing them within his magic.

Finding the fire deposit among the cold ice was a blessing as they were all feeling the cold, even Gladio, by now. Ignis insisted on stopping once more, stating the amount of time and energy they had been spending since their arrival and he is quick to make lunch for them as they huddle around the pure fire energy.

Once properly warmed up and fed, Noctis absorbs the elemental energy and they return to the task of getting to the Tomb without dying. Prompto leads them forward, following that unusual and odd feeling that he now knew to be coming from the Royal Arms of the Lucii. He stops just before a low hanging passage and warned, "There is a pretty powerful daemon in there. It's as strong as the Ronins we've been fighting but we haven't found anything like it before."

Ignis nodded, "Then we'd best be prepared.", motioning Noctis and Prompto to stay behind as Gladio bent down to get through the opening. The daemon that materialises in front of them, right after Noctis and Prompto straighten by the entrance, looks like a mix of an octopus and a human. It screeches once, a call that makes Flans and Imps appear out of thin air, before charges straight at Noctis.

One of its hands glow purple and Noctis warps past it, his heart beating quickly at the tentacled daemon's attack. "Noct!" Prompto had to drop to the frozen ground as the daemon changed his target from Noctis to Prompto without pausing. The air trembles around the creature, pulsating with odd magic that leaves Prompto feeling slightly sick. Gladio is quick to attack it, his sword swinging horizontally to try and hit as many of the daemons as he could.

Ignis follows through after Gladio's attack, throwing daggers at the imps that jumped out of the way, smirking to himself as many of the imps devolve into mist. His satisfaction doesn't last long as the strange daemon screeches once more and twice as many daemons appear. "Oh shit! It can call for reinforcements! More coming in behind you Noct!" Called out Prompto while frantically shooting at the seemingly endless amount of daemons popping up right and left.

Noctis reacted to the warning from Prompto, surrounding himself with his magic and warping through the touch of a slimy tentacle with a repressed shiver. He brought down his daggers across the suddenly vulnerable tentacle, severing it from the rest of it and making the daemon shriek from the pain. The shriek seemed to carry magic, the sound piercing his mind and freezing his body long enough for the daemon to grab unto him.

Noctis screams as the tentacle latches on him and start squeezing, the sound filled with pain and drawing the attention of the three other men. Ignis is closest and quickest to react, bringing out his lance and charging the daemon. With Noctis squeezed close to its body, Ignis has limited targets and he goes for the one least likely to accidently injure Noctis.

The daemon releases Noctis when the lance pierces through the side of his neck, bursting into scourge mist. Ignis drops down and quickly cracks a potion over Noctis, turning to fight off the Imps that see them as weakened targets. Gladio growled with anger, cutting through the swats of daemons that keep him from Noctis' side with almost reckless abandon.

Prompto is the only one who doesn't go to Noct right away, there are even more daemons showing up and he can feel more coming. A glance over to where Gladio and Ignis are desperately fighting against the daemons that throw themselves towards the fallen King and Prompto know he has to do something and do it quick.

The blond lets his guns disappear back into Noctis' magic and gives the guys a warning, "Get down! Now!" He doesn't wait to see if they listen to him as the imps start swarming him, their claws digging into flesh. It doesn't matter to him at that point. Prompto reaching into the part of him that had been almost bursting with energy for the better part of their travel and opening the carefully created lock made of magic.

Gladio heard the shout from Prompto, glancing to the blond and mentally swearing as he sees him disappear into a mass of flaying imps and flans. His instinct scream at him to get down and he doesn't hesitate. Gladio grabbed Ignis by the cuff of his shirt, dragging him down over Noct before flopping over the two of them. Just in time too, as a sudden burst of wind slams right above the trio and it throws everything still standing into the walls.

Particles of darkness start to slowly rising from the ground, hovering in the air until they suddenly swirl into a tornado before disappearing right where Prompto had been standing. Gladio lifts his head and stares at the sight of the daemons all backing away from that point of the cave. Even the tentacle daemon seem cowed into submission, all of them floating down to almost touch the ground with their feet tentacles.

Where their sunshine gunner had stood mere moments ago now stood a pale caricature of the man. Pale skin broken by veins of pure black, blond hair that looked drained of color and black pits for eyes; all of which marked the appearance of Prompto's daemonic blood. Gladio can feel Ignis shifting beneath him and hears the whispered, "Prompto…" coming from the adviser in a pained voice. Noctis is finally moving as well, Gladio feels the king's hand grasping at his wrist painfully. Gladio swallows and returns his attention to what was happening; after all there was nothing they could do now.

Daemon-Prompto smiled, his teeth showing strangely white against the blackened lips. None of the daemons in the cave moved, all of them frozen by the firm grasp this version of Prompto had over the Scourge that gave them life. A single flip of its hand and all the imps burst apart, releasing the bright lights of energy that illuminated the cave even brighter in its eyes.

Another movement and the energy gathered into a single point in front of Prompto's eyes. Daemon-Prompto molded the energy into the shape of a Midgarsormr before making his new found creation attack the remaining daemons. The daemon Midgarsormr was twice as big as the one they had sneaked past on their way to the waterfall and it lashed out with lightning fast movement. The destruction of the remaining tentacle daemons, Mindflayer Daemon-Prompto whispered to itself, and the flans couldn't be called a fight at all.

When the cave was empty of everything except for the Scourge Midgarsormr and the three beings of blue energy, Daemon-Prompto sauntered over to its creation and laid a hand on the oily black scales. The daemon twisted on itself, its life being sucked dry by the Daemon-Prompto as it devoured the Scourge that lived in it. It only lasted for a second, the amount of Scourge within the daemon Midgarsormr barely enough to heal the injuries of Human-Prompto.

Gladio slowly got off Ignis and Noctis though he made sure to keep himself between his charge and this version of Prompto. He felt Ignis do the same while keeping a hand on Gladio's back to indicate his position behind the Shield's body. Gladio called out, "Prompto?", gauging how Prompto might react right now. He hears Noctis whispering something to Ignis and the whispered reply from the adviser sounded strained.

Daemon-Prompto turned at the call, tilting its head slightly as it remembered the presence of the others there with him. It walked over slowly, keeping silent until it stopped just out of arm's reach from the large human, Gladio whispered Human-Prompto. "What is it?" It rasped out, its voice sounding like Prompto and yet resonating with an echo that wasn't him.

Gladio swallowed again, dealing with this Prompto always scared him even if he loathes to admit it, "Can you change back?" Daemon-Prompto nods but doesn't do anything until Noctis moves past Ignis roughly and asks, "Please change back, we need to get the Royal Arm and I don't think you'll like going in the Tomb."

Daemon-Prompto looked over to the metallic doors hidden in the corner of the cave and frowns, the energy from there is pretty, flashing in streams of all kinds of blue, but it doesn't like it. With a sigh, Daemon-Prompto closes its eyes and retreats to the nice and comfy part of Prompto's brain that belongs to it exclusively.

Prompto drops to his knees, panting harshly as his body recovers from the shift from human to daemon and back. He whines as hands touch him, his skin too sensitive to the heat that comes from his friend's body and the touch disappears. The three waits, hovering, until Prompto sits in his heel and smiles at them, "I'm back." His voice is back to normal but still a bit raspy.

Noctis asks in a small voice, "Can I hug you?" and Prompto see the way Ignis and Gladio tense up, knowing they also want to ask him that. Prompto answer by flinging himself into Noct's arms, he still feels almost too hot to touch but it's a sensation Prompto is willing to deal with if it means comforting his worrying boyfriends that he is okay.

Ignis and Gladio both wait, not wanting to overwhelm Prompto by adding their presence to Noctis but that's not what Prompto wants and he tells them as much with a pout and a pointed look. Ignis smile and lays a hand against Prompto's back, "That was reckless of you Prompto." The admonition is half-hearted at best and all of them know it. Gladio gave a throaty chuckle and sandwiches Prompto between himself and Noct, burying his nose into the sun blond hair and smelling the scent that was oh so painfully Prompto.

They stay like that for a while, glad to be together and relieved that things had worked out okay despite the dangerous trek leading them there. Ignis speaks up after a while, "Do you think you can walk Prompto? We should hurry out of here before more daemons appear." Gladio lets Prompto go and extends a hand to the blond to help him up if he needs it.

Prompto looks down at the icy ground and mumbles, "Cant." Noctis is the only one that hears him and he lifts Prompto's face up with a gentle touch, "That's okay Prom. Gladio can carry you easily." The king presses a kiss to top of his blond head and looks at Gladio. The Shield nods and bends down, picking Prompto up easily and tucking his tired boyfriend against his chest carefully.

Prompto smiles and buries his head against Gladio's chest, relishing in the almost painful warmth that came from the man. None of them want to stay here any longer than necessary, Noctis almost running to the door to the Tomb and waiting impatiently as they open to reveal the coffin inside. Gladio waits just outside with Prompto, leaving Ignis to be the one to hold Noctis as he receives Sword of the Wanderer.

With Ignis leading Noctis until he recovers and Gladio carrying Prompto, they have a harder time navigating the passages and ledges that brought them here in the first place. Strangely enough they encounter no daemon on their ascendance, an occurrence that has everyone on edge until they reach the exit behind the waterfall.

The sun is midway down the horizon, a testament to how hard their return trip had been and they all hurry back to the Regalia. Noctis takes the wheel, leaving Ignis to sit beside him while Gladio keeps Prompto against him. Ignis calls ahead to warn Jared they were on their way back and stills as he listens to something the Amicitia's butler speak.

"What's wrong Ignis?" Asks Gladio, worried at the unusual reaction from the adviser. Ignis carefully puts away his phone before he answers, "Luna has arrived. Jared put them in the private suite beside ours. They are waiting for our arrival." Noctis hand tightened on the steering wheel and he grinned, Luna was finally here!

A/N: You might have noticed a different in the way I wrote Daemon-Prompto in this chapter versus the chapter where he mets Ardyn. There is a reason for that and its simply due to the circumstances. If Prompto willingly open the door to Daemon-Prompto then that part of him is in control for the most part. Prompto is still fully aware of what's going on but allows Daemon-Prompto to move and use its power as it desires. (Also Daemon-Prompto is nonbinary and wants to use 'It' to refer to itself.)


	15. Chapter 15

They find Luna sitting in the living room of her suite, surrounded by Cor, Ventus and Iris, who was brushing her hair and braiding it. A few feet away, the three Galahadian Glaives were talking with Navalus though Nyx kept glancing back at Luna every few seconds. When Noctis and his friends burst into the room, the group there turned to greet them.

Luna was on her feet almost at once, forcing Iris to let go her hair, "Noctis!" Noct grinned and walked over to bury her into a hug, "Thank the Six, I'm so glad to see you Luna." Luna laughed and returned the hug. "As am I." She looked over Noct's shoulder and gave the other three men a smile.

It didn't take long for everyone to find their place in the room, sitting on the couches or on standing around the room. Luna had apparently already told Cor, Ventus and Navalus what had transpired to her since the fall of Insomnia but she repeated it for the sake of Noctis and his friends.

Noctis already knew parts of what had happened from his dream meeting with Crowe, a point that came out and required explanations from Noctis about his covenant with Carbuncle. Luna told them that the next morning of that meeting, Nyx and Libertus had returned with the antidote for the poison as well as a radio that allowed them to listen in to Niflheim troop deployments.

Thanks to that, the four of them had managed to evade all of the Empire's attempts to block their movements. Cor had it now as it would give the growing resistance in Insomnia a better chance of causing trouble without being caught. Just before Noctis had arrived, Navalus had been talking with his nephew about heading to Galahad to speak with the elders who had moved back about helping Noctis fight and reclaim Lucis and also about opening their islands to refugees from Insomnia should Lestallum be unable to receive anymore.

Noctis frowned as he listened to what was being discussed, it seemed like Cor was on top of the situation concerning the fight against Niflheim. Ventus was having no trouble resettling anyone who had left Insomnia and Navalus seemed to be planning on recruiting help from Galahad. Noct was glad to see everyone working so hard and keeping themselves busy but it did make him feel a bit left out.

"What should we do then?" Noctis asked, motioning to Luna and himself as he did, "Other than looking for the other Royal Arms, there should be something we can do to help." The room fell silent, Nyx, Crowe and Libertus tensing up a bit as everyone waited for someone else to offer an idea.

Luna spoke, breaking the silence with determination, "There is something that can only be done by you Noctis. It is time for you to form the covenants with the Hexatheon and fulfill your destiny as King Chosen by the Crystal." Everyone looked at her. Luna kept her eyes on Noctis as she continued, "Niflheim cannot be defeated by force of arms or soldiers alone. Only by fulfilling the prophecy and destroying the scourge completely will you be able to reclaim Lucis and grant peace to all of Eos."

Noctis dropped his gaze, he had almost forgotten about that. He couldn't help but wonder if was he ready for such a task? Beside him Ignis reached out and gently squeezed Noct's arm, "Then how do you suggest we proceed with this task?" Luna smiled, understanding in her eyes as she replied, "Titan is nearby, as such he should be the first we awaken to form the covenant with Noct."

Prompto straightened up with an excited gleam in his eyes, "Titan is the one holding the meteor right?" Nyx grinned from where he was beside Luna, "Sure is, Kid. You're aiming to grab a few pictures of it first?" Prompto nodded then turned to Ncotis with pleading eyes, "Can we? Please?" Noctis grinned back, looking fondly at Prompto and nodded, "Don't see why not if that's alright with Luna." Luna nodded as well.

Prompto grinned, "Yes! Perfect photo op with Luna and Noct! It's a dream come true!" He blushed right after as he realized what he had just said. The rest of the evening was spent talking about less serious things as everyone decided to enjoy the downtime the reunion was giving them. Prompto showed off his pictures; Crowe and Gladio managed to get Cor to agree to a drinking contest and Nyx got Ignis and Libertus to participate in a three way arm wrestling contest to determine who would cook for the evening.

Hours later, Noctis was curled up against Gladio's chest in their room, listening to the steady sound of his boyfriend's breathing all around him. Sleep was evading him tonight, unease and the buzz of good alcohol making him jittery. Even curled up in the safest place he could think of, Noctis still felt like something was going to happen soon.

After tossing and turning for a long while, Noctis gave up on trying to sleep and got up as carefully as he could. He was about to open the door when a gruff voice rumbled sleepily behind him, "Where do you think you're going?" Noctis looked over his shoulder and smiled fondly at Gladio, the man looking dishevelled as he pushed himself on an elbow.

Noctis glanced at Ignis and Prompto, both of them were still soundly asleep, before he answered, "Just going to get some fresh air. I'll stay on the balcony." Noctis waited and watched Gladio as his Shield struggled between wanting to go back to sleep, intertwined with his boyfriends or going up to watch over Noctis. Noct added, "I'm not going to leave the suite."

That seemed to convince Gladio who grumbled, "You'd better not.", before lying back down to return to sleep. Noctis smiled and quickly made his way out to the suites balcony before Gladio changed his mind or Ignis woke up. He loved them all but sometimes Noctis just needed to be alone for a while, something that Prompto understood better than the other two.

The night air was just as humid as during the day, the heat of the meteor shard that powered most of Lucis covering the city like a blanket. Noctis leaned against the balustrade as he looked over Lestallum and allowed his thoughts to wonder. It had been a very long week since Niflheim had broken their word and invaded Insomnia.

A week of running around, trying to figure out what had gone wrong and trying to figure out what to do next. Noctis couldn't be more thankful of his friends presence as they had helped him grieve and get back on his feet with their support. It was still odd to hear Ignis or Cor call him Majesty whenever they were speaking formally, the idea of being King had always seemed like a faraway time even with the Wall draining his strength away and yet now…

"Oh King of the Crystal, what burden does your mind hold?" The soft spoken voice appeared out of nowhere, startling Noctis. He turned around and saw Gentiana walk up to stand beside him, "Gentiana! Why are you here?" He kept an eye on the Messenger as he returned to his previous position.

She smiled and whispered, "You have not answered my question oh King of Kings. What burden weighs on your mind?" Noctis shifted uneasily as he avoided looking at her, "Things have changed so quickly…" He ends up muttering, more to himself than as an answer to her question. Gentiana waited to see if he would add anything more but Noctis stayed silent as he stared at the city around him.

"Oh King of the Stone, your father fought to protect you so you may fulfill your duty, to bring the Light back to Eos. Cry not for those who no longer await your return within the fallen city but for those left waiting for the Chosen King." Gentiana spoke calmly, betraying no emotion. Noctis twisted to stare at her.

"Gentiana…" Noctis whispered, surprised by her words. The Messenger simply smiled and tilted her head slightly, "The path is clear for the Oracle and her King. Go to the Archean and begin your ascension." A gust of wind blew past the balcony, forcing Noctis to close his eyes until it passed. He wasn't surprised that when he opened his eyes to find the balcony empty.

He turned his gaze back to the sleeping city and repeated, "Don't mourn for those who aren't there, right…" Noctis sighed, leaning down to put his forehead on the lukewarm metal. Gentiana's words weren't of help to the young king and with a groan, Noctis decided that he had to at least try to sleep. They would be planning their approach to the Archean in the morning and Ignis would get worried if he didn't get any sleep.

Noctis slunk back into the room, stopping to look fondly at his three boyfriends all tangled together with Prompto in the middle. He slipped under the covers and shifted to press unto Ignis' back with a pleased hum before closing his eyes. He felt Ignis shift, one of his hands being taken and then the soft kiss Ignis pressed into it. Noctis sighed in pleasure and finally felt his body and mind relax enough to drift off.

Ignis woke up first as he usually did, feeling a tad over warm but comfortable and content squeezed between Prompto and Noctis. He allowed himself a few more minutes to bask in the feeling before slipping carefully out of the large bed and into the kitchen. A glance at the clock there told him it would be another hour before anyone else got up and Ignis decided to make use of the time.

He wrote a quick note to let anyone who might wake early know of his whereabouts, got dressed and slipped out of their room without a sound. Ignis stopped at the front desk, asking about a place that served good coffee before leaving the hotel alone. The day was already humid and hot, with the promise of growing even more so as the day progresses.

Ignis followed the suggestion from the young man working the front desk and found himself getting a dark roast coffee with a homemade berry muffin from a small coffee place by the view point. He took the time to sit down and enjoy his breakfast while reading the morning newspaper. There seemed to be nothing of interest to him, more propaganda from the Empire about promising to leave the people of Lucis to their daily lives without interference once the resistance was dealt with properly.

Ignis sighed, there was some truth in the promise but it left out many things such as the taxes levied against the citizen of the conquered territories in order to fund the never ending war or the conscription of all young man and woman above the age of 16. He quickly turned the pages to his guilty pleasure, the comic section and even had the time to do part of the crossword before he found his cup empty of coffee.

Humming Prompto's favorite mindless tune, Ignis descended the stairs to the mounted telescopes strewn about the area. He looks from one telescope to the other, trying to find the one most likely to give him the view he desires. After a few minutes of deliberations, Ignis chooses one and carefully peers through it.

The meteor stands supported by the massive figure of the Archean, Titan, standing stock still as it had for centuries. The closest point accessible by car to the Astral would still force them to walk for at least an hour before reaching the edge of the crater. Ignis examined the area closely, trying to see if he could find a way down safely as he didn't know where Lunafreya would need to be to commence the awakening ceremony.

As he turned the telescope towards the road leading to the Astral, Ignis spotted a familiar shape moving about. "Airships?" He muttered to himself, "Why…" He hissed, spotting the tell-tale shape of 3 airships slowly descending unto the ground. This wasn't good, Niflheim seemed to have finally made their move towards the Astrals presence just like they had been warned by the mysterious Ardyn Lucis Caelum.

Ignis felt a shiver run down his spine and he straightened to look around. It didn't take long for Ignis to find the source of his sudden unease, the man walking slowly towards them was unfortunately familiar. The stranger from Galdin Quai, the one who was supposedly the doppelganger of Ardyn, smirked as he approached Ignis, "And so we meet again. How fortunate, what brings you to this fair city?"

Ignis kept his face bland as he regarded the man, once more there was a nagging feeling in Ignis' mind telling him he should know who this was. "It seems like quite the coincidence to meet you again, Mr. of no consequence. Perhaps you've come to enjoy the sights of Lestallum?" The crimson haired man grinned, "The Archean is of more interest to me than a small town such as this. I suspect you and your…friends, have a similar interest in visiting the Astral do you not?"

Ignis tensed even more, shifting slightly and keeping a hand hidden from view from the man in front of him. The man walked right by him without care, Ignis shifting with the movement, "You might want to hurry up. I'm sure you've noticed the Empire has started to move. I'd say you might have a bit over 3 hours before they finish the blockade." The man chuckled, leaning against the stone wall.

Ignis stared at him for a while longer before starting to move away carefully. He was almost to the stairs when the man spoke up again, "Oh, I almost forgot. Your blond friend, the one who seemed so taken by my presence at Galdin Quai, his name is Prompto Argentum is it not?" Ignis stopped, turning around to look at the man but he seemed unperturbed, still leaning against the wall without care. The man shot Ignis a predatory grin before returning to his relaxed lookout, snatches of an all too familiar song being hummed.

Ignis turned away suddenly, his heart beating wildly in his chest and his breathing was starting to feel a bit too fast. Anxiety seemed to have gripped his heart and Ignis had a single thought running through his head, _Prompto! Please be safe!_ Even on the verge of panic, Ignis knew better than to bring attention to himself by running through the waking streets of Lestallum or to go straight to where they were staying.

His hand fumbled through his pockets to find his phone and he quickly called Gladio. As he listened to the sound of ringing, he planned the fastest and yet safest way for him to return to the Leville while ensuring he was not being followed. "Umm…Ignis?" Gladio voice was sleepy and warm in his ear and the sound allowed Ignis push away part of his anxiety.

"Gladio, is Prompto with you and Noct?" Ignis demanded, unable to hide the worry and stress from his tone. He held his breath as he waited for Gladio to reply, "Ya they're both here with me. What happened Ignis?" Ignis sighed in relief, "I'll explain when I get back. For now I need you to wake them both up and then head over to do the same with Lunafreya. Don't leave Prompto alone. Make sure to be ready to leave quickly." Ignis ducked into a strip mall, using the reflections from the glass to see if anyone was following him.

"Got it Ignis, be careful." Gladio replied, his tone fully awake and on edge. Ignis smiled against the phone, feeling much better now that he knew Gladio would keep Prompto and Noctis safe. "See you soon." Ignis bade his goodbye before hanging up. He hadn't seen anyone following him yet and actually… there seemed to be a lot less Niflheim soldiers walking around.

Back at the Leville, Gladio looked over at the sleeping duo beside him. Prompto looked peaceful where he was cuddled up to their sleeping beauty and Gladio felt sad that he was going to have to wake them up but at the same time, Ignis was worried about something and that was never good news.

"Wake up you two, Ignis said there might be trouble." Gladio sighed, reaching over to drag the covers off the two men. Noctis simply growled and rolled closer to Prompto but the blond yawned and opened his eyes sleepily, "Iggy's in trouble?" Prompto sounded half asleep. Gladio smiled, leaning over to kiss Prompto softly and replied, "Maybe, he called and asked us to get ready to leave quickly. Help me wake Noct up?"

Prompto nodded, worried about Ignis, and looked at Noctis who had snuggled up against his back, wrapping an arm over his waist. He shared a look with Gladio and they both started tickling their boyofriend, Gladio running his fingers on the bottom of Noct's feet while Prompto twisted in Noct's grip to tickle his ribs. That woke Noctis up, giggling and laughing breathlessly as he twisted around trying to escape the ticklish touch that woke him up.

"Guys! Let me sleep…" Noctis whined, pushing himself up on an elbow and glaring sleepily at his grinning boyfriends. Gladio shook his head, "Sorry Princess, we can't do that Ignis called and there might be trouble brewing. We need to get ready to leave and make sure Lunafreya and the others are too." Noctis' eyes widen and he asked frantically, "Ignis? Is he alright? Where is he?" Gladio calmed him down quickly, "He sounded okay when he called, I'm sure it's just a precaution but regardless we'd better move. Get dressed, I'll start breakfast."

As Prompto and Noctis got dressed, Gladio made a quick breakfast, just some coffee, eggs and toast. He ate his own quickly and returned to get dressed himself. A glance at his phone showed no new message from Ignis and Gladio hoped the man was simply being careful and not in some kind of trouble outside alone. As soon as they were ready, the basic necessity packed and thrown into the Armiger by Noctis, the three men headed across the hall to Lunafreya's suite.

Noctis knocked on the door and waited for an answer from within. The door opened quickly, surprising Noct as he stared at Nyx' bare chest. "Aint it a bit early for you Kid?" He then caught on the look of worry they were all sporting and Nyx stepped back, motioning them to come in. "What's wrong?" He asked once they were in the living room.

Luna, Crowe and Libertus were all up and eating breakfast, all of them looking up at the surprising arrival of the new king and his retinue minus Ignis. Gladio nodded in greeting to all of them before he explained, "Ignis went out earlier to take a look at the Archean. He called me about 5 minutes ago, said their might be trouble and that we should get ready to leave quickly. All of us." His words sent the glaives into a flurry of activity, Nyx staying beside Luna while the other two went to get ready.

Ignis forced himself to walk slowly through the winding streets of Lestallum, slowly making his way in a meandering circle until he arrived at the side entrance normally reserved for the staff of the Leville. The staff glanced at him awkwardly but none of them said anything as they kept working, allowing Ignis the freedom to move without being delayed. He took the elevator then the stairs as a final precaution before heading to the princess' suite.

Ignis knocked on the door, using the code he and Gladio had created for such occurrences and waited patiently as the door was unlocked and Gladio peeked out. Ignis was quick to slip by him and into the room, his eyes searching out Prompto and he felt the last remaining tension leave him at the sight of his blond lover smiling and chatting with Crowe. Noctis greeted him, "Ignis! Are you alright?" Ignis smiled and nodded, "I am, I apologise for making you all worry."

Ignis looked around the room, pleased to see everyone seemed ready to leave immediately if they needed too and he proceeded to explain what he had witnessed at the lookout. "Niflheim is setting up a blockade around the Archean. I was told we now have less than 3 hour to get to him before Niflheim closes the roads completely." Everyone tensed up.

Nyx growled, "Told? By who?" Ignis frowned, "A crimson haired man we met at Galdin Quai." He heard Prompto take a sharp breath and glanced over at him worryingly. "He seemed aware of who we were and of our presence here as well…" Ignis trailed off, wondering if he should say anything about the fascination the man seemed to have with Prompto but before he could decide, Luna spoke up.

"A crimson haired man? Was he wearing an embroidered black coat and a red scarf?" she asked quietly, Ignis nodded and Luna sighed, "That man is the Chancellor of Niflheim." She got up and declared, "We need to go. I do not know what he is planning but the Chancellor has always done things for his own gain." Ignis wanted to groan, how could he not recognized Chancellor Izunia? And it fit with what Prompto had told them from his encounter with Ardyn.

With the decision clear, they emptied out the suites, intent on not returning, at least for a while. It was arranged that the Glaives would take Luna in the repurposed car they had stolen from Niflheim and lead the way to where they needed to go. Noctis and his friends would follow in the Regalia and they would meet up at the Archean's lookout point to plan how to awaken the Astral and help Noctis form a covenant with him.

A/N: So that was the warning Gentiana promised to deliver for Ardyn. Make it what you will XD

Also the song Izunia was humming when Ignis walked away? It was the chocobo song.


	16. Chapter 16

Just as the Chancellor had told them, there were Niflheim soldiers working along the road but for the moment, none of them tried to stop them from passing through. "Getting back will be troublesome if this takes long." Muttered Gladio as he watched the Magitek Armors moving on the edge of the road to build their blockade.

Ignis hummed his agreement as he carefully drove the Regalia, "Let us concentrate on one thing first. We can worry about what to do after Noctis has received the Archean's blessing." It didn't long for them to reach the end of the road they could take with the Regalia and regroup with Luna and the Glaives. Crowe greeted them as Ignis parked, "Glad you could catch up quickly Princeling. " Noctis sighed at the nickname as he walked over to be beside Luna.

"You're never going to stop calling me that aren't you?" Noctis complained, though the twitch of a smile on his lips betrayed his exasperated tone. Crowe just smirked as she leaned against the beat up old car they had been using for the last while and said, "Not until you can kick my ass in a sparring match Princeling. Those are the rules and you don't get a free pass."

Gladio laughed and slapped Noct's back, "Guess that means it's never going to happen!" The Shield ignored the glare that the smaller man sent his way with ease as he adopted a serious expression, "So what's the plan? How are we supposed to wake Titan up and get him to form a covenant with Noct?" He looked at Luna as he spoke.

Luna nodded and explained, "We need to head into the crater until we can stand right in front of the Archean. Once there I will begin the ceremony to awaken him and then Noctis will form his covenant." Luna turned to Noctis and warned, "He will test your worth Noctis. I do not know how exactly but each of the Astrals will test you so please be careful. You may not be able to receive help from anyone."

Noct nodded, "I'll manage somehow. Did any of you get a chance to check out how to get down to Titan?" Nyx shook his head, "Not really, Libs and I took a quick look around but other than some kind of open tomb we didn't see any way down." Nyx' s words drew Noct's attention, "An open Tomb? Where?"

Nyx looked a bit surprised but pointed, "Just over that ridge, it's not far." Ignis moved up to Noctis, tilting his head in the direction pointed by Nyx and said, "Go and see if it's a Royal Tomb Noctis. I will remain with the others and find a safe way down. Take Prompto and Gladio with you."

Ignis turned to look at the Glaives and Luna who seemed confused and explained even as Noctis left with Prompto and Gladio, "Cor has tasked Noctis in finding the Royal Tombs and claiming the powers of his ancestors." The explanation seemed to satisfy their curiosity as Nyx grinned and then turned to look at Libertus and Crowe.

"Let's leave the Kiddo to it if it's an order from the Marshall. How do you want to do this Ignis?" declared Nyx with a shrug. Ignis hummed and then suggested, "The most effective way would be to split up to cover more ground. I would suggest Lady Lunafreya stays here with someone and rests as the awakening will be a strain on her. " He looked over to Luna as he spoke.

Luna nodded, agreeing with Ignis' words silently, she had no doubt that waking Titan up would drain her significantly but if Sylva's theories were correct then Luna would not have to fear about losing her life to accomplish her duties as Oracle for the Chosen King.

Nyx nodded then turned to look at his friends, "I'll stay with the princess so you two go and take a look with Ignis. It'll take the Kiddo at least half an hour to get to the Tomb and back if all goes well so let's me back up by then." Crowe and Libertus both nodded, Libertus wrapping an arm around Ignis' shoulder and declaring, "Come on with me Ignis. I tried some of the Nif's food and let me tell you they are so bland I couldn't believe it."

Crowe grinned and shook her head as Libertus dragged Ignis away towards the right side of the crater while simultaneously talking about one of his few hobbies, cooking, with the adviser. She turned to look at Nyx and Luna, "You two stay out of trouble alright? And you!" She wagged her finger at Nyx with narrowed eyes, "Let Luna rest properly." She grinned and then headed towards the left ledge of the crater with a parting wave, leaving the two lovers with fond and amused looks on their faces.

Noctis moved quickly but carefully down the path Nyx had pointed out, his eyes taking in the odd pillars that rose from the ground around the path. There was no doubt those were of Lucian origin and could very well be from a Royal Tomb. It was, as they soon found out when they turned around a corner and found themselves staring at another marble coffin with a sword clasped in its hands.

Prompto whistled, "Well I never would have expected to find a Tomb here." Noctis nodded and moved closer, looking at the coffin with warry eyes. Gladio huffed, glancing at Noct and crossed his arms, "Seems strange to find one here like this and not have to fight for it." Noctis nodded again, then sighed and grabbed the Sword.

Both Prompto and Gladio were there to catch him as he staggered backwards once again. Noctis slumped in their arms and groaned, "I'm getting tired of this happening everytime." Gladio grinned, running a hand along Noct's arm as he held him. Prompto gave him a quick kiss and told Noct, "It's okay Noct, we'll always catch you anyways."

Noctis huffed and straightened back once he felt strong enough to do so, he looked at the lonely looking coffin and wondered, "Why do you think it was here? It seems out of place compared to the rest of the Tombs we've been too so far." Gladio shrugged, "Who knows, we can ask Iggy about it when we get back. You good to move?" As soon as Noctis gave the go ahead, the three men started on the way back to Luna, Ignis and the three glaives.

Libertus and Ignis discussed the culinary experiences that Libertus suffered through while serving as Luna's escort even as they carefully wandered along the edge of the crater to try and find a safer way down. So far neither of them could see a way down that did not include 50 foot drops or climbing down sheer cliff sides. The concern was not about the possibility of such a climb, Gladio had often climbed the side of the Citadel on dares and the rock surface had more hand holds, but rather the exhaustion it would force upon the Oracle and the Chosen King before their trial with Titan.

Crowe was having a bit more luck on her side after leaving Nyx and Luna together. She had come across animal tracks leading down into the crater, the track leading her straight to a small but useable path leading downwards gently. Right now she was following it as far as she could in the time she had, not wanting to bring the rest of the group down here only to find it was blocked or didn't go close enough for what was needed for the Ceremonies.

As she finally arrived at a ledge that was almost at face height with the Archean's stone figure, Crowe grinned. Satisfied with her discovery, she made her way back up, ignoring the path in favor of directly climbing the walls as she once climbed the sea side cliffs of Galahad. A grin plastered on her face, the magic specialist decided to enjoy the feeling of free climbing while she could.

Nyx and Luna waited until no one was in sight before Luna grinned and headed over to the Regalia. Nyx followed after her, looking amused as Luna climbed into the back and laid down on the seat with a pleased hum. "Comfortable Princess?" Nyx teased as he leaned against the door. Luna tilted her head backward so she could look at him and replied casually, "It's a lot more comfortable then the car you and Libs stole from Niflheim."

Nyx laughed at that, "It should be, this belonged to King Regis after all." His expression fell for a moment before he felt a hand brush against his cheek. Nyx caught Luna's hand in his own, nuzzling against it with a soft smile, "I'm alright Princess. " Luna smiled back at him, "I know Hero, doesn't mean I'll stop worrying about you though." Both settled down comfortably to wait for the return of their friends, Luna taking the time to rest some more confident in the knowledge that Nyx was by her side.

Ignis and Libertus were the first to return, still discussing together about cooking recipes and from what Nyx could catch of the fast-paced discussion, something about the use of spices as both spice and medicine. He chuckled, waving at them both as they approached. Noctis, Prompto and Gladio arrived less than 5 minutes after that followed by Crowe who bore a grin and whose hands were scratched up quite a bit.

Nyx looked at her, "What's got you so happy?" Crowe sauntered over, stopping in front of the gathered group and declared, "Found us a way down straight to a platform right about face height with Titan over there." Nyx grinned back, "Good job Crowe. Princess? Are you good to go now?" Luna nodded to Nyx' questions and they were all quick to gather what they might need and follow Crowe's lead downwards into the Disc of Cauthess.

Crowe stayed in front, leading the way down the rocky paths of the crater. She was followed closely by Gladio then Noctis and Ignis. Luna, Nyx and Prompto were the last of the group, Prompto keeping an eye out for any Niflheim ships nearing the area while Nyx kept his eyes on Luna.

As soon as they arrived at the bottom of the path, Luna stepped forward towards the stoned face visible in front of them. She summoned her Trident and glanced over her shoulder to see Noctis walking to stand beside her while Nyx had everyone else spread out with her at the center. Noctis placed his hand on her shoulder, "I'll be right here with you Luna. The guys and Crowe will make sure we aren't interrupted."

With the firm certainty that her friends would keep her safe while she did her duties as Oracle, Luna gave Noctis a smile then stepped firmly forward . She took a deep breath in, steeling herself for what was to come then sang the opening notes of the Song of Awakening. Her voice echoed among the rocks, her words ringing clear and steady throughout the area.

She sang without pause, standing firm as she repeated the words taught to her by her mother and by Gentiana when her mother was no longer there to teach her. Luna felt her power be drawn out with every word and sound. She saw herself be slowly cloaked in the golden power of the Oracles and felt the sharp pain that threatened to steal her breath away. She felt Noctis hovering behind her, ready to catch her should she falter and protect her if need be.

As the final notes echoed one last time through the crater, Luna finally saw the stony façade of Titan crack and a glowing red eye make its appearance. A voice resounded hard and forceful, making everyone except Luna flinch in pain. **_Blood of Oracles, why have you awakened me from my slumber?_** Luna gripped her Trident harder, using it to support her slowly fading strength as she replied the Archean's summon. "God of Stone, I beseech you: enter into a covenant with the King of the Stone."

Titan spoke again, his voice grating and almost unbearably loud to the humans on the platform, **_The King of the Stone is but a child, unproven and untested. He has done nothing worthy of the title._** The Archean shifted from his position, sending waves of shock through the ground, threatening to knock them all off their feet. Luna braced herself, "Then give him a chance to prove his worth to you! He stands ready to show his worth to you!"

Noctis forced himself to step closer to Luna, pushing through the wave of power that surrounded her until he was by her side, staring with determination at the Archean. The Astral looking down on the small human, the king chosen by the Lucii, and made his decision. **_Then let him prove his worth before my might!_** The Archean reached out with his hand, not allowing Luna to warn Noctis, and grabbed Noctis in an iron grip.

Titan ignored the buzzing cries of the King's companion as he lifted the body in his hand up and tossed the human downwards before he stood up for the first time in millennia's. The ground trembled with his every move but Titan had eyes only for the Chosen King, the Trial of Stone had begun.

Luna screamed as Titan grabbed Noct in a stone hand, the wind caused by the movement sending her to the ground. She wasn't the only one that screamed, her voice almost lost as the others shouted as well. She stayed on the ground, dazed for several long moments before Luna felt familiar hands helping her up. Nyx looked at her, worried and face set in a grim expression, then snapped his head back up as Ignis called out to him.

Ignis had watched helplessly as his king and beloved was snatched into the grip of the Archean and disappeared under them. He surged forward towards the edge of the platform, casting a look at Lunafreya but didn't stop to help as he saw Nyx moving to her aid. He returned his attention to his goal, ensuring the safety of Noctis.

Ignis dropped to his knees as the edge of the rocks, looking down to the sheer drop that leads to the very bottom of the crater. Titan moved and the tremor the gigantic being caused almost caused Ignis to topple over the edge. Gladio grabbed him and steadied him, "Do you see Noct?" Ignis nodded, having just spotted the blue crystal shard of Noctis' magic.

"There!" Ignis shouted, pointing for Gladio and Prompto's sake before he twisted to order Nyx and his fellow Glaives, "Nyx! Get Lady Lunafreya to safety! We'll go after Noctis!" The adviser didn't wait for a reply from the Glaive, choosing instead to turn to the two men beside him. "We need to get down there quickly. Gladio you should be able to scale down faster so go. Prompto and I will find another way down and meet up with you." Gladio didn't argue, his eyes fixed on the moving figure below them and simply nodded before dropping over the side of the ledge and starting to climb down.

Noctis swore as Titan dropped him in midair, it took him a moment to find his bearings before he managed to summon his sword then used it to warp down to safety. He swore again as he had to dodge out of the way of falling boulders as the Archean stood up. Noctis scrambled away from Titan's feet. He had to get back up!

 _There! A path up!_ Noctis warped straight to it. Clinging to the edge of the crater was a winding path of stone that would hopefully get him somewhere where he could fight Titan on better footing. Noctis felt more than saw the foot coming down on top of him. He twisted and brought out his Engine Blade up, putting all his strength, both magical and physical, into changing the path of the stomp away from him.

Noctis grunted as the stomp ended up landing right beside him instead, breaking through the fragile path of rock and forcing Noctis to warp further up the path to avoid falling back down. He gasped as he reappeared, swearing mentally as he realized he was on the verge of going into stasis. Noctis panted as he struggled back to his feet only to catch Titan's hand sweeping towards him.

Noctis stared at the incoming hand, behind him was a sheer drop that he couldn't hope to make without going into stasis. In front was a hand that weighed several tons of sheer rock and quickly approaching. Just as the hand came close, Noctis felt something tackle him to the ground. A familiar smell surrounded him and Noctis gasped as Gladio forced him down with his own body, barely allowing the hand to sweep above them.

"Come on Noct!" Gladio grunted as he got back to his feet and pulled Noctis with him. He pushed the man in front of him and followed behind as they ran up the path as quickly as they could. Noctis kept an eye on Titan's movement, each one causing tremors that forced them to hang onto the rock cliff or risk being sent over the edge of the path. Every once in a while, Titan was sweep his hand down the path to try and throw them back down but Gladio and Noctis managed to keep away from the lumbering attacks.

Just as they reached a wider area, Noctis heard the sound of airships coming closer. "Not now!" He shouted as he watched Niflheim ships come to hover over the Archean. MTs were dropped from the growing fleet of ships to thud unto the rocks all over the crater. Most of the MTs seemed to have some kind of harpoon-like weapon attached unto them.

Gladio quickly brought out his weapon, swearing as he put himself between Noctis and the Niflheim troops. A few tense moments had Gladio frowning, "They're ignoring us?" Gladio didn't drop his guard, it could very well be a ruse to get to Noctis.

Noctis looked around the area, the troops that Niflheim had dropped were ignoring them in order to aim the weird harpoon thing they carried at the Archean. Noctis hissed, he had regained a lot of his energy but this was just too odd to ignore. "I don't know what Niflheim is planning but I don't like it! Suggestions Gladio?" Noct asked as he kept a careful watch between Titan and the MTS.

Gladio growled, "We're here to get you your covenant. I say we stick to that and deal with the Empire after." The Shield reached out and yanked Noctis out of the way of an incoming stone fist and swung his sword unto it in retaliation. Gladio's swing caused his sword to spark as it dug into the stone skin of Titan's hand, the cut barely more than a scratch to the Astral.

Noctis joined in on the attack, aiming his attack at the same place that Gladio had cut and managing to dig it deeper. Titan roared in pain, rearing back and sending tremors throughout the areas. That seemed to be the signal the MTs were waiting for as many of them suddenly attacked the Archean with the harpoons shooting out thick cable to hold down the Archean in place.

Noctis barely had time to absorb the sight before Titan screamed, sending shock waves of pains through his mind and forcing him down to his knees from the pain. Gladio swore and moved to stand over Noctis protectively, ready to snatch Noct up in his arms and run if he needed to. An MT turned to look at them, Gladio brought up his sword to deal with the threat but a gun shot rang out and the MT fell, its head destroyed.

Ignis and Prompto slid down the edge of the crater to make their way to Noctis and Gladio, Prompto taking aim at the MTs around them and destroying several as he moved. Ignis nodded to Gladio and knelt down by Noctis, "Noct, what's wrong?" Ignis asked softly, resting a hand on Noct's back as he waited for an answer.

Noctis groaned, "Titan… He… We need to get rid of the MTs before they can finish what they're doing…" He pushed himself back on his feet, staggering a bit before finding his footing among the near continuous tremors Titan's struggle was causing. Ignis was quick to support him and quickly said, "There are too many of them Noctis! We cannot hope to destroy them all. Prompto saw even more reinforcements on their way."

Noctis kept a hand on his forehead and groaned as another wave of pain shot through him as Titan roared and swung his fist down unto some of the MTs. More of the mechanical soldiers were being dropped from above and the ships themselves had started to shot at the Archean. Noctis forced himself to straightened and ordered, "Then we must force Titan to acknowledge me as King!"

Gladio grunted as he tugged Prompto behind his shield, "How do you suggest we do that? We don't have enough energy to fight the Nifs and the Archean at the same time!" Ignis looked up at the Astral just as Titan swept his arm across the open area. The stone arm brushed past pools of lava as it did and it gave Ignis an idea.

As soon as the four lucians had dodged the sweeping arm and regrouped, Ignis declared, "I have a plan. Noctis keep his attention on you and try to get him to use that last attack as often as you can deal with it! Prompto, Gladio with me! We need to prepare a few things!" Noct nodded and headed straight for Titan, summoning the Royal Arms he had at his call as he did.

If anything would be able to hurt the Archean and bring his attention to Noctis then it would be the power of his ancestors. His thought proved to be correct as the Sword of the Mystic was able to cut the stone skin deeply without too much trouble. Noctis warped back to the ground and grinned as Titan swept his arm once more. The king kept it up, switching between the Sword of the Mystic and Axe of the Conqueror while warping to whatever he could reach to attack and dodge the answering strikes from the Astral.

Ignis watched Noctis warp strike Titan's arm with one of the Royal Swords with worry before he turned to Gladio and Prompto. "We need to get as many of the Ice flasks we can and use them on the Archean's arm to weaken it for Noctis to break." They both understood what Ignis was saying quickly, surrounded by the heat as they were. They watched out for attacks from the Astral as they worked to summon any ice flask Noctis had created and stored away while also keeping an eye out for MTs and the Archean's attack.

It took longer than Ignis would have liked to gather and divide what flask they had but finally they were ready. Ignis twisted to shout at Noct, "Noctis! Over here!" Noct warped over in a flash of crystal light, panting and looking tired from the prolonged fight. Ignis tossed him a flask and quickly ordered, "Target the same spot as us!" before he took aim and threw the magic flask unto Titan's approaching arm.

The flask broke as it hit the stone skin and ice spread quickly over the area, growing thicker as Gladio, Prompto and Noctis joined Ignis in throwing the ice magic at the arm. Titan howled as the ice climbed across his skin and Noctis felt an unusual tug from his magic. "I'm going to finish this!" He shouted before answering the calling of his ancestors.

Phantom blades spun to life around him and Noctis warped, quicker than ever before, to strike with all the blades aimed at the same spot. The pull of the Royal Arms kept him in the air as he struck over and over at that one spot in Titan's arm. He watched with growing satisfaction as the cuts became cracks that spread further and further with every blow until at last it shattered.

Noctis landed back on the ground as Titan reared back, howled and then collapsed in front of Noctis. While the attack of the Empire didn't slow down at all, the Archean ignored it to concentrate on the small king, the one Chosen by the Crystal of Eos and who had now completed his trial though with help.

Noctis was bent almost in half as he tried to catch his breath, grinning as he listened to the celebration of their success by his friends. They had managed to defeat one of the Astrals and Noctis now had his first covenant! Despite the still dire circumstances, Noctis wanted to join in with them but he couldn't find much strength left in him after everything and the Empire was still surrounding them.

Titan spoke and Noctis winced again, the rasping voice of the Astral resonating in his mind like nails on a chalk board. Like before, he understood nothing that the Archean said but within moments of stopping, the Archean glowed and simply disappeared in a shower of golden specks. Noctis gasped as he felt a burning sensation under his arm protector, the Archean's mark was on him.

As final blessing from the Archean, the magic that lent Noctis his strength also caused all of the MTs and airships straight above the crater to be destroyed in a spectacle of flames and sparks. Gladio turned to Noctis, seeing how tired he was and asked quickly, "Can you move? We need to get out." Noctis nodded in reply and Ignis lead the way toward the path Prompto and he had taken down.

They had barely time to take a few steps before the area started to explode in burst of lava and fire spouts as Eos reclaimed the area the Archean had laid dormant for so long. Even as Ignis shielded himself and Prompto from the drops of lava, Gladio did the same with Noctis before exclaiming, "It can't get much worse than this!" And of course, Fate decided to prove him wrong.

An airship descended to hover right above them, its light trained on down with single minded purpose. Ignis swore, "The Empire? Now?" Gladio placed himself in front of Noctis as the hanger doors opened slowly to reveal an unfortunately known figure.

Chancellor Izunia stood in the entrance with a smirk gracing his lips, "Fancy meeting you here! In a bit of a pickle I see? Then perhaps I may be of assistance once more." He gave the men a mocking bow and added when none of them seemed willing to move, "I guarantee your safety, your Majesty. Though you are always welcomed to try your chances down below…"

Noctis glared at the Chancellor, itching to attack the man but a whine from Prompto drew his gaze away. Prompto looked pale and was panting suddenly, his face covered in a fresh layer of sweat that had nothing to do with the rising heat. Ignis and Gladio had noticed it as well and Gladio reached out to grab the blond without lifting his gaze from the Chancellor or moving from his position. Ignis looked around quickly before he spoke, "Dying here is not an option. Neither you nor Prompto are in any shape to run. We must accept his offer."

Noctis glared at Chancellor Izunia then spoke, "I know but we stick together." Ignis nodded and whispered to his lovers as they moved into the hanger, "Keep Prompto away from the Chancellor." Gladio and Noctis gave the slightest of nods as Gladio picked up a shaking Prompto and carried him on board the airship. They were stuck but not helpless.

A/N: I watched the Japanese version of Luna waking the Leviathan and it looks like she's singing before Leviathan starts to speak, thus the idea that the Oracles sing to wake the Astrals up.


	17. Chapter 17

The Chancellor showed them to a small compartment in the airship with a bow and a warning, "Best not to wander around, your Majesty. It would be unpleasant should a mishap happen du to your negligence." The warning was unnecessary as Noctis was feeling exhausted and Prompto was curled up in Gladio's arm, whimpering softly and unconscious. Ignis and Gladio much preferred being together despite the small space given to their use rather than the chance of being separated for however long the Chancellor wished to have them as guests.

The room was small, some kind of office though empty except for a single couch, an empty and dusty office desk and a few chairs. "Noct, go lie down with Prompto for a bit. Gladio and I will keep watch and wake up should something happen." Ignis said quietly. Noctis was too tired to argue but it didn't prevent him from looking at Prompto with worry in his eyes before sleep claimed him, an arm wrapped tightly around Prompto's waist.

Ignsi sighed quietly once both of the younger boys were sleeping, a scrapping noise behind him brought his attention away from the couch in time to see Gladio dropping on a chair, facing the only entrance to the room. The Shield glanced over at the adviser before returning his gaze to the door, he spoke softly as to not wake his two exhausted lovers up, "So? Are you going to explain what this new worry about Prompto is all about or not?"

Ignis looked back at the two men, curled tightly together on the couch, he slipped off his jacket and laid it as best as he could over them before bringing his own chair to sit by Gladio. "When I met the Chancellor this morning, he hinted at a rather disturbing interest in Prompto. Adding that interest to Prompto's reaction to the man both in Galdin and now? I cannot help but think that the Chancellor is aware of his origins and wishes to harm or take Prompto away from us."

Gladio growled, low in his throat before he reached out and tangled his hand with Ignis', "Thanks for letting me know about this. We'll keep an eye on him and keep them both safe from that man." Ignis gave a thankful squeeze, "Prompto's reaction to the Chancellor is odd though. I wonder if there might be something we missed all those years ago."

Gladio nodded, "It might be. Prompto wasn't able to tell us what happened last time, just the fact that he froze and couldn't move or hear what was going on around him until the Chancellor was gone. I just don't see how or why Niflheim would have put something like that in the initial MT programming."

With no answer to offer, Ignis sighed and rose once more to check again on Prompto and Noctis. Prompto seemed less feverish, his face calmer now as he slept tucked under Noctis' chin. Part of him longed to join them in sleep but for now that would have to wait until they were in a safer place than this. Comforted by the sight of his lovers, Ignis returned to his chair and spent the rest of the trip in silent companionship with the oldest of their group.

It took two hours before anything happened, the sudden change of the engine sound forcing Ignis to wake the sleeping duo as Gladio rose from his seat to stand in front of the door. Noct was just getting up when the Chancellor opened the door with a smirk, "I hope the trip was not too uncomfortable for you, dear guest, but alas we have arrived at your destination and I must ask that you follow me quickly."

Their destination, as chosen by the Chancellor without any concern for their own desires, seemed to be a plain field within sight of a farm stead barely visible in the heavy rain. The Chancellor dropped them off without further discussion and the three men and their still unconscious companion were left without money, basic necessities or a way to travel in the middle of a storm.

Ignis sighed then turned to squint at the distant farm, "We should hurry and get out of the rain. Are you well enough to walk Noctis?" Noct nodded, shivering slightly from both the lingering exhaustion and the cold rain, and asked, "How long do you think it's going to take to get there?" The raven's gaze was strictly on Prompto, held in the arms of Gladio. Ignis shook his head, annoyed as his glasses were covered in rain, "A while, we'd best get moving. It will help keep us warm." He took the lead, his shoes sinking into the mud of the field.

It took them half an hour of trekking through the heavy mud before they reached what turned out to be a chocobo farm. Ignis, Gladio and Noct shared a tired smile as they all thought of how excited Prompto will be when he wakes up. The head of the farm, Wiz, was more than happy to welcome them into his home until the storm passed in return for some help to deal with minor problems around the farm.

As soon as they were safe and warmed back up, Noct called Nyx on the cellphone Cor had given the Glaives before their hurried departure. Nyx's voice came as a relief to Noctis when the older man answered after a few rings, "Yes." The voice was sharp and strained.

Noctis frowned and replied, "Nyx? It's Noctis. Did you manage to get Luna out safely? Is she okay?" He heard the sigh of relief, out of place coming from the renowned fighter. "We're fine, we got out before the Nifs showed up. We drove to Alstor so the Princess could rest properly. Crowe and Libs are keeping an eye on her right now. What happened?" Nyx's reply was straight to the point and Noct did him the favor of explaining what had happened since they had split up.

Nyx whistled as Noct finished talking, "Congrats on your first covenant but that Chancellor is bad business. I'll ask Crowe and Libs to head back to the Disc and see if they can get your Regalia back. Might have to hot wire the car to get it moving though…"

Noct chuckled, feeling the tension drain from his body the more he talked with Nyx, "You have my permission to do what you need to get the Regalia to us. Just try not to have too much fun with it." Noct could practically hear the grin from Nyx as he replied, "Aye aye your Majesty! Get some rest and we'll see ya soon." Noct smiled as he hung up and turned to where Ignis was making some soup.

The cook glanced over his shoulder when he heard Noct hang up, "Everything alright with Lunafreya?" He returned his gaze to his cooking, not wanting to risk overcooking the vegetable or the meat, not when Prompto would undoubtedly need the energy a healthy meal would provide.

Noctis walked over to wrap his arms around Ignis' waist and propped his head on the man's shoulder. "They got out in time and are letting Luna rest for now. Nyx is sending Crowe and Libs to get the Regalia, I kinda told him that they were allowed to do what they needed to get it to us…" Noct said simply.

Ignis smiled, turning his head to kiss Noctis softly, "I suppose I can overlook any damage done this once. Now if you would go check up on Prompto and Gladio? I will bring the food over shortly." He turned off the stove and moved the pot off the heated burner before going to find proper bowls and utensils.

Noctis chuckled and did as Ignis asked, quickly going up the stairs until he reached the room Wiz had given to them. He knocked once before entering, Gladio was still sitting on the bed, his back against the wall and with Prompto safely curled up on his chest. Prompto opened red rimmed eyes as Noct entered and gave him a tired and strained smiled.

"Hey Prom." Noctis whispered quietly as he walked over to them. Gladio marked the page of his book and put it aside, his free hand carting mindlessly through Prompto's hair and he looked down at Prompto with a smile before addressing Noct, "He wasn't feeling up to talking when he woke up. I've been reading to him to pass time."

Noct nodded as he sat down at the edge of the bed, reaching out to lay a hand on Prompto's blanket covered feet, "That's fine. You don't need to do anything you don't want to Prom. I'm just glad you woke up." He gave Prompto a smile and added, "Ignis is coming up soon with some food, soup."

Gladio grinned at the news, "Good, I'm starving. Any news from Nyx or Luna?" He shifted to help Prompto as the blond pushed himself to a sitting position though he was still leaning heavily on Gladio. Prompto looked at Noct with worried eyes and Noctis didn't want to make his boyfriend worry. He quickly told them about his discussion with Nyx and watched as tension seemed to bleed out of Prompto.

Ignis arrived soon after, bearing a tray of bowls and the pot of soup in his arms. He was relieved to see Prompto awake and smiled at him as he walked over, "I'm glad to see you up Prompto. Do you need anything?" The blond shook his head slightly and Ignis smiled understandably before handing him a bowl of soup.

The meal passed by in comforting chatter, Prompto eating slowly and listening as Ignis and Gladio ended up debating writing styles and whether erotica should be considered a part of romance or not. Noct interjected every once in a while, laughing as he teased them. The food, the comforting presence of his boyfriends and the safety that came from being within a closed room finally allowed Prompto to find his voice, "Thanks guys."

His words plunged the room into surprised silence for a moment before Ignis reached out and gently cupped Prompto's cheek, "You are more than welcome, love. How are you feeling?" Prompto sighed into the touch, reaching out to hold Ignis' hand where it was before he answered, "Tired but better. Sorry for making you worry."

Gladio chuckled and tugged Prompto into a hug, "Nothing to be sorry about Prom." Noctis nodded and leaned over to kiss Prompto softly and rested his forehead against Prompto's lovingly, "We love you, you dork. No matter what, we aren't leaving you." Prompto smiled and nodded, he knew it but it felt nice to hear it again. They stayed together for a while longer before Ignis drew Noct away to rest as well while Gladio spent the night with Prompto.

Prompto was more or less back to himself by the time he woke up, Gladio still sleeping beside him in the early morning. He carefully got out from under the covers and started to explore where ever they had stayed for the night. Prompto couldn't remember much after Noctis had managed to get the covenant with the Archean and seeing that airship drop down in front of them. He heard someone moving around downstairs and quietly headed towards them.

Prompto wasn't overly surprised to find Ignis, humming softly to himself, in what turned out to be the kitchen. He was more surprised by the older man sitting at the table and chatting with Ignis when Prompto entered the room. Ignis turned around and smiled at Prompto, "Good morning Prompto, how are you feeling this morning?" He motioned to the man sitting at the table and introduced, "This is Wiz, he was kind enough to allow us to stay in his home last night."

Prompto beamed at Ignis and greeting the man, "Thank you Mr. Wiz." He walked over to stand by Ignis and answered his previous question, "I'm feeling much better. Anything I can do to help?" Ignis chuckled and leaned down to give him a quick peck on his cheek before he shooed Prompto away, "I'm glad you're feeling better. I'm almost done here so why don't you go and keep Wiz company? He has requested our help on dealing with something."

Prompto nodded, "Sure Iggy." He went over to sit down on the opposite side from the owner of this place and grinned, "Sorry, I'm Prompto. Thanks again for letting us stay here."

Wiz chuckled and pushed an empty cup and motioned to the pot of coffee sitting between them. "Glad to see ya looking better. You and that other boy looked like death warmed over when the lot of you arrived yesterday. Grab some coffee and let me tell you about what I need you boys to do for me."

Prompto took up the offer, filling his cup half with coffee then adding milk and sugar until it was pleasantly sweet. Prompto turned his eyes back to Wiz and asked, "So what seems like the problem Mr. Wiz?"

Wiz smiled and explained, "Well, we've been having an old Behemoth wandering the area. Makes it hard to run my business when my chocobos are too scared to come out of their homes. Thought you boys might be able to handle it. The locals here call the old boy Deadeye, on account of a blind eye he has you see?"

Prompto almost shot up in excitement, "We're at a Chocobo Farm!" He looked between Ignis, who was grinning at Prompto, and an amused Wiz, who nodded. Prompto grinned and nodded frantically, "Of course we're going to help you! And the Chocobos!"

Wiz laughed at his eagerness to help, "How about a deal then? Since you're so keen to help me, I'll offer you boys a free chocobo rental period on top of the reward on Deadeye. Say for a full week?"

Ignis walked over as Wiz finished talking, nodding to himself at the offer, "That may prove very useful. We must talk with our companions but I do not see any reason to refuse at the moment." He placed three plates on the table, one for each and motioned for them to dig in. Prompto hummed in delight at the taste of Ignis' food, "It's as good as always Iggy! Thanks!"

Ignis smiled at the compliment, happier at the sight of Prompto being himself and cheerful. He asked Wiz for a few more details concerning the behemoth they would most likely be hunting next.

The only details Wiz could give them was that the behemoth had made its home somewhere to the east of the farm. Ignis didn't doubt that between Prompto's experience hunting with the Galahad Immigrants and Gladio's own propensity towards such things, they would be able to find the beast quickly enough.

Footsteps made their way down the stairs and the occupants of the kitchen turned to the doorway to greet Gladio as he appeared, still tussled sleepily. Gladio waved his greetings as he hid a yawn behind a hand, "Mor…Ning." Ignis chuckled and went to grab Gladio a plate, allowing the bigger man to drop on a chair beside Prompto.

Prompto hummed and grinned at Gladio before letting him know about the hunt Wiz wanted them to take. Gladio knew the moment Prompto mentioned the chocobos that there was no way they could say no, especially with Prompto turned his puppy eyes on Gladio, just begging him to say yes. Gladio grinned, reaching out to muss the blond hair before he told Wiz they would do it once their sleeping beauty woke up.

The three men chatted with Wiz as they finished their breakfast and started the wait for Noctis to wake up on his own. Ignis had decided to let Noct sleep in as much as he needed after the ordeal of yesterday and he was going to do the same with Prompto but the young man had ended up waking up by himself. His musing was interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing and Ignis pulled it out with a frown.

He answered quickly once he saw the name on the screen, "Nyx?" The Glaive answered quickly, "Ignis, good, just listen for now. The Regalia was taken by the Nifs. Crowe and Libs just got back with the news. They also had the unpleasant experience of having to break through several blockades the Nifs set up overnight. We'll try to get to you but it's going to take time and…Shit!"

Ignis stared at Gladio then swore as the call stopped. Gladio was half up at once and demanded, "What happened?" Ignis stared at his phone for a moment before he managed to answer, "Trouble, go get Noct up now. We need to plan our next move."

A/N: I've gotten a few messages asking me not to allow the Ten Years of Ruins to pass lately so I figured I might as well add in some lore to help calm your worries, my dear readers.

1) In canon, the reason for the ten years of darkness is because of the amount of scourge floating in the air and thus blocking the light. In this AU, that can't happen because of the wide spread use of the cure.

2) Daemon are still present and a threat at night but because a lot less people are being turned into daemon and the fact that the cure is basically a weapon against daemons, they aren't nearly as many as in game. Also the only places that have strong daemons are within permanently dark areas such as mines, tunnels or caves.

I don't plan on having the Ten years of Ruin happen but this au tends to write itself at times so just know that it wouldn't be a ten years of complete darkness if it ever does happen. More like ten years of no Noctis, which still would suck.


	18. Chapter 18

_Noctis groaned as he woke up, couldn't he get a rest? He had just fought Titan and Prompto wasn't feeling well! He didn't have the energy to deal with another problem at the moment, he just wanted to rest! Was it so hard to ask for some peace and quiet?_

 _Apparently so considering where Noctis was right now, a wide field of Sylleblossom in a familiar place. Noctis frowned, why was he in Tenebrae? With a sigh, Noctis got to his feet and started down the dirt path that wove between the flowers gracefully. He didn't see Carbuncle anywhere but that meant this wasn't one of his own dreams._

 _As Noctis walked, he smiled at the memories he had of this field. Of the days spent with Luna and Ravus playing in the flower fields in between treatments. Of days spent laughing together before Niflheimhad destroyed that peaceful place. Noctis lost himself in the memories until he heard laughter from his right._

 _Noctis looked towards the sound and stopped in his track, there dancing with Ravus among a sea of blue flowers was Luna. The two siblings looked as they had when Noctis had first meet them, so young and smiling and laughing without fear or worries. He missed them._

 _Luna caught sight of him as she was twirled around by Ravus and waved at Noctis with a beaming smile, "Noctis! Come over here!" Noctis smiled and waved back before making his way slowly through the Sylleblossoms. Every step seemed to making him losing height and age, leaving him looking like the 8 year old that had first arrived at the floating mansion with his father, afraid and in pain._

 _Luna smiled at Noctis as he arrived by their side, Ravus reached out to drop his hand on Noctis' head teasingly and that more than anything told Noctis that neither of them were aware this was a dream. He frowned, should he tell them? If he did than maybe Ravus would be able to tell him where he was being held so they could go rescue him but…. Ravus looked so happy here and Noctis didn't want to remind him of the pain he must be dealing with._

 _Luna and Ravus shared an amused glance between each other before Ravus spoke calmly, "I am well aware this is a dream Noctis." Ravus tilted his head towards where a stone table was slowly rising from the ground, "Let's talk for bit. I don't know how long I have before they manage to wake me again." He turned and offered his arm to Luna who took it with a slightly sad smile._

 _She turned to Noctis and explained, "I asked Carbuncle to look after Ravus after we got to Lestallum and I heard the news. I asked him to bring Ravus into my dreams if he could." Luna smiled up to her brother. Noctis stepped up beside her, smiling as he realize he was no longer in his childish form but back to his proper age._

 _The trio walked over to the table, now filled with pastries and the fruit juice Noctis remembered from his time in Tenebrae. They tasted just as he remembered too. Noctis turned to Ravus and asked, "I'm sorry but I need to know what happened to you. Do you know where you are?"_

 _Ravus shook his head, taking a bite of his pastry before he answered with a weary tone, "There is no need to apologize Noctis. I understand the necessity of such questions but I do not wish for you to risk yourself needlessly for my sake." He ignored the dual glare that Luna and Noct sent his way._

 _Noctis glared and crossed his arms over his chest, "You're the commander of the Kingsglaive and my friend Ravus. I want to help you and I will one way or another. If you won't answer my question then I'll just have to find answer myself. Cor and Lance have already been going through Nif bases and soldiers trying to find out where you are."_

 _The pastry Ravus had in his hand fell to the table, Ravus staring in shock at Noctis, his form wavering just long enough for Noct to see bloody scars, and he turned his gaze unto the stone with a few tears streaming down his face. Luna leaned over to wipe them away as she whispered to her brother softly, "Of course they would. Ravus, I know you do not wish to see us come to harm but we feel the same way for you. Please, let us help you."_

 _Ravus form wavered again at Luna's words, shifting to an even younger age that Noctis had never known. The young Ravus, maybe 7-8, leaned against his sister's side and his shoulders shook with sobs. Noctis moved closer, reaching out to rub circles across his back in silent comfort as he watched over Ravus' breakdown._

 _Luna held her brother softly, letting him cry as she hummed and whispered reassurances he so desperately needed. It wasn't the first time either of them saw Ravus in such a fragile state but it was strange for them to have such a small and young Ravus clinging to them._

 _It didn't surprise either of them when Ravus seemed to fall asleep, the emotional situation tiring him out after whatever had been done to him. Luna and Noct were both willing to wait as long as Ravus needed before talking again, despite knowing they might not have the time to do so._

 _So when Luna's dreamscape flickered to fire and loud banging noises, Noctis wasn't too surprised to receive an armful of Ravus from Luna as she stood up. She glanced upwards as the dream flickered again and swore, returning to her 24 year old self before turning to Noct with steel eyes, "It's not safe for him here any longer. I'll be fine no matter what happens so please take care of Ravus for me."_

 _She flinched as a loud voice pierced through the veil of dreams that usually kept the sounds of the real world away from the dreamers. "_ _ **Crowe! Get her out! We'll hold them back!"**_ _The voice was warped but Noctis knew it was Nyx shouting._

 _He looked sharply at Luna and told her, "Be safe.", before turning around and running away. He called for Carbuncle and saw the small fox-like Astral appear beside him for a moment before he found himself standing with Ravus in his arms in the Citadel's main garden._

 _Noctis sat down on the ground heavily, still clutching Ravus in his arms, and gritted his teeth. He hoped Luna would be able to get out of whatever was happening right now but she was correct when she had said she would be safe._

 _The Empire wanted her alive since killing her would incite riots throughout Eos and turn the very people they wished to rule against them. Ravus though…. Ravus was expandable and could be killed at any moment if they either got what they wanted or decided he would never speak and became worthless to them._

 _Noctis looked at the platinum blond nestled against his shoulder and felt his anger rise once more. A chirp brought his attention to Carbuncle and the sudden vibration of his phone. Noctis checked it and smiled at the text,_ _ **Luna is going to be okay. We can keep Ravus safe too!**_ _Noctis looked confused at Carbuncle and asked, "How?"_

 _The small astral turned around and started running into the Citadel, Noct checking the new text before following._ _ **I can keep him asleep if he feels safe enough in this realm. They won't be able to wake him up or hurt him too badly. I won't let them.**_ _Noctis chuckled at the angry emoji that followed the sentence and said, "Thanks Carbuncle."_

 _Noctis followed Carbuncle through the empty halls of the Citadel, Ravus still sleeping in his arms. The small astral lead him deeper into the center of the Citadel, towards the familiar halls of the staff housing area until they arrived in front of a familiar door._

 _Noctis chuckled, "Figures. Of course this is going to be somewhere Ravus feels comfortable and safe in." He opened the door to the Argentum home and allowed Carbuncle to go in first before he followed, gently readjusting the sleeping Ravus as he did so. Carbuncle chirped as he lead Noctis and Ravus to the room Sylva and Lance had insisted on making for Ravus and Luna to use if they wanted to._

 _Noctis grinned as he looked into it, the room was small but had the familiar plushies Prompto had worked hard to make and even the ones he, Ignis and Gladio had added as a half-serious joke, spread on the bed. Plushie Umbra and Pryne sat beside the lavender scented chocobo from Ignis, the misshaped Iron Giant made by Gladio and his own attempt at a mini-Luna._

 _Ravus moaned in his arms, whimpering for a bit until Noctis started rubbing circles on his back. Ravus relaxed back into sleep and Noctis carefully lowered them both into the bed. Carbuncle jumped on the bed to join them and sent Noctis another message,_ _ **They're trying to wake him up. I'm going to go make them stop but I need you to stay asleep and with him. Is that okay?**_

 _Noctis nodded absentmindedly as he moved Ravus closer to him as the young boy started to whimper again. "I'll stay for as long as you need me to. Is there a way I can get in touch with Ignis, Prompto or Gladio? They'll worry if they can't wake me…"_

 _Carbuncle nodded with his fox head and Noct checked his response,_ _ **They're all awake already but I can manage to let you send a message to one of them. Just send it and they'll get it.**_ _Carbuncle nuzzled Ravus before jumping up and disappearing into the air, leaving Noctis alone with the young dream form of Ravus._

 _Noctis smiled and looked at the three contacts that had appeared in his phone when Carbuncle disappeared. Ignis was the obvious choice to contact since he was the most likely to have his phone on him. Noctis hummed as he composed the message with one hand, the other still rubbing Ravus' back gently._

 ** _Hey Specs, long story short: I need to stay asleep for a while longer to help Ravus. Luna got attacked where ever she is but Carbuncle found Ravus for her and now I'm helping Carbuncle take care of him. DON'T WAKE ME UP!_**

 _Noctis sighed as he sent the message, watching the marking showing it had been delivered appear and then moments later go to 'read' status. Noctis dropped his phone on the bed and curled up around Ravus, there wasn't much he could do right now so… Might as well take a nap until Carbuncle came back._

Ignis closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to figure out what they should do now, he could hear Gladio walking hurriedly towards the stairs, intent on waking Noctis up. Prompto had also risen to his feet but was patiently waiting for Ignis to decide what they should do.

The phone in his hand rang again, the tone signaling a text message from Noctis. With a frown, Ignis opened his eyes and quickly read the message, eyes widening in surprise as he did so. "Gladio! Don't wake Noctis up!" He shouted hurriedly.

Prompto stared at Ignis and asked, "Iggy? What's wrong?" He moved over to stand beside him and looked at the text still visible on Ignis' phone. Prompto read it and swore under his breath, drawing a sharp glance from Ignis. "Noct can't get a break. Do you think he'll okay?" He asked softly to Ignis.

Ignis nodded then explained to Gladio, "It would appear Carbuncle had requested Noctis' help in assisting Ravus. He says Luna is being attacked at the moment as well."

Ignis turned to Wiz, the older man still sitting quietly at the table, and bowed, "My apologies for the trouble. I assure you that if our presence becomes a danger to you and your staff then we shall leave quickly."

Wiz waved off the concern without a second thought, "None of that now young man. My farm's got plenty of places to hide if ya need to. So you are staying here until ya got some proper rest and a place to go. I'll worry about the rest." The owner grinned, it was obvious there was no love lost between him and Niflheim.

Ignis smiled and bowed back before turning to Prompto and Gladio, "Considering this request from Carbuncle, we cannot leave until Noctis has awakened. I would prefer we do not get caught unaware by Imperial forces. Prompto if you could find a place that would allow you to keep watch? Gladio, please…"He was interrupted by Wiz.

Wiz shook his head and told the three worried men, "You don't need to worry about keeping an eye out. My birds like the Nifs as much as they like Deadeye. We always know when one of their airships is around. Like I said, you boys just rest up and let me worry about the rest." He got up and with a parting wave, left the kitchen with a light step.

Ignis stared at the retreating back before looking over at Prompto and Gladio in confusion. Gladio just shrugged and said, "I believe him about getting warning from his birds. Heard them once or twice overnight and the airships were way off when I checked."

Prompto nodded his agreement, "If it makes you feel better Iggy, I can try and sense around every few minutes? It'll let me know if there are daemons or MTs approaching." He waited for Ignis to answer.

Ignis looked between the two men, listening to them and sighed, "Thank you Prompto but I would feel better if you didn't. Let us remain on our guards for the moment and wait until Noctis wakes up. I shall go contact the Marshall and let him know about the situation." He sighed and left the kitchen to find a place to call from but not before giving a quick kiss to Gladio and Prompto.

Prompto and Gladio walked to the room Noct and Ignis had shared and they sat down beside the sleeping king with a sigh. Gladio reached out and ruffled Noct's hair, whispering, "I can't help you in your dreams Noct so you'd best be careful." He bent down and kissed his forehead, "We'll be here when you wake up so go and help Ravus. Just don't take too long to come back to us." Prompto smiling and doing the same before taking out his camera.

Ignis left the kitchen to find a quiet spot to call from, he had called his uncle last night once Noctis and Prompto had been safely in bed, resting from the busy day. Now he called Cor, looking out the window to where Wiz was walking around and talking with his staff, and waiting for the marshal to answer.

"Ignis." Cor answered quickly and went straight to the point, "Ventus told me what happened with the Archean. Good job, how is Noctis?"

Ignis replied softly, "Noctis is still sleeping. It would appear that Carbuncle has requested his aid in helping Ravus somehow. Lunafreya and her Glaives have been attacked. I was speaking with Nyx when he hung up suddenly and it would appear that Noctis was in contact with Lunafreya at the time as well. "

Cor hissed, "Are you still safe?" Ignis leaned against the wall as he spoke, "For the moment. Prompto and Gladio are with Noctis. I will join them afterwards. It seems unwise to try and force Noctis to wake up or to move him without knowing what such actions might mean for him." Ignis took a deep breath and admitted, "I am unsure what to do now. Noctis cannot form covenants without Lunafreya's help and we have no means of reliable transport to go to her aid."

Cor hummed on the other end of the line, Ignis hearing the distinct sound of a blade being sheathed. The silence lasted a few moments before Cor spoke, "Stay where you are if you're safe. I'll take a few hunters and Crownguards to go check the situation with the Oracle."

Ignis leaned his head back unto the wall and closed his eyes, Cor continued, "Your priority is keeping Noctis safe. I'll take care of the rest." Ignis smiled weakly and replied, "Thank you Cor. Do be careful, Prompto would never forgive you should you get injured or die." The chuckled that answered him was honest and Cor replied, "We can't let that happen. You boys be careful as well.", and he hung up.

Ignis sighed as he pocketed his phone, the morning was not going as planned at all but there was precious little he could do to change that. Ignis then went to join Prompto and Gladio in watching over Noctis. Prompto smiled as he entered, looking at his camera screen before asking, "So?"

Ignis smiled back and answered, "Cor is heading over to Alstor to see what happened and help if he can. He's taking a few guards and hunters with him to do so." Ignis tilted his head back, leaning against the wall of the room and feeling the stress of the morning pooling on his temple.

Prompto noticed, as he almost always did, and decided Ignis need to take a break and relax a bit. A glance at Gladio told him that he had also noticed Ignis' stress and Prompto had a quick and silent conversation with the Shield.

Prompto grinned and moved to stand beside Ignis, "Luna's going to be fine then if Uncle's going to help. Check this out! I grabbed a few pictures yesterday before the Chancellor showed up." Prompto tilted his screen so Ignis could take a proper look and smiled as the bespectacled man shook his head with fond exasperation. He was already feeling better.

A/N: Turns out that remembering Inception give a chapter about the sleep within sleep... Hope you enjoyed!


	19. Chapter 19

It took another three hours before Noctis woke up, groggy and confused. Gladio hadn't moved from the bedside and so was the first one to reach out and help Noctis sit up. "Easy there Noct, how are you feeling?" Gladio smiled softly at the confused blue eyes blinking owlishly at him.

Ignis and Prompto were quick to get to the bed. Prompto dropping to sit beside Noct while Ignis stayed at the foot of the bed. They didn't speak, neither wanting to overwhelm their boyfriend unnecessarily after whatever Carbuncle might have asked him to do.

It takes Noctis about five minutes to get his bearings and the first thing he says is, "I'm starving Specs. Is there any food left?" The three guys around him stared in shock at Noctis until Prompto started laughing and the tension broke.

Ignis was utterly relieved and said, "I do believe we have some breakfast left. I shall go and get some for you. Is coffee alright?" He waited for Noctis to nod before leaving the room. As he descended the stairs to the kitchen, Ignis sent a quick message to his Uncle to update him, **N woke up, any news from C or L?** It was safer then messaging Cor and causing trouble for the Marshall.

Ignis quickly found and reheated the leftovers from the morning though a quick glance at the time had him frowning. They would have to find something for lunch soon as well. Ignis added a few fruits and snacks for the others before returning to the room with the tray.

Noctis was sitting up, looking fully awake and grinning as Prompto showed him the pictures from the previous day. He grinned at the smell and sight of Ignis coming back with food and practically inhaled everything the man placed in front of him.

"Woo there Noct! The food isn't going to disappear if you take it slower." Warned Gladio, a bit worried. He had taken one of the apples Ignis had brought up and ate it slowly, his gaze on Noctis.

Prompto and Ignis both nodded their agreement, each eating a small snack themselves as they watched with worry and fascination as Noctis ate. It didn't take that long for Noctis to finish and he leaned back with a satisfied look on his face.

Noctis looked around at his friends and smiled softly, "Sorry for making you worry and thanks for not waking me up." He shifted around the make himself comfortable and told them what had happened overnight. About meeting Luna and Ravus, about Luna's dream shattering and him having to leave with Ravus and then how Carbuncle had basically placed Ravus into a coma in real life while simultaneously making it hard for anyone to harm him, at least as long as Ravus remained within someone else's dream.

Ignis replied with the information he had gotten from Nyx before they had been cut off and how Cor intended to go help them out. Ignis cleaned up the empty plates and stated, "We must consider our next move. Without Luna, we cannot form a covenant correct?" He got a nod from Noctis and continued, "And without the Regalia, we have no means of transportation at the moment."

Prompto chimed in, "But we could get chocobos! We just need to help Wiz with his trouble!" The gunner grinned at the confused look in Noct's eyes and explained, "Wiz offered us a week of free rental if we could take down Deadeye, a behemoth that's preventing the chocobos from going out of the stable. He offered it on top of the reward!" It was easy to see how excited Prompto was at the idea of riding chocobos.

Noctis chuckled and looked over to Gladio, who grinned and said, "It's as good a plan as any. We can't just go running about without a plan and with Cor already heading out to help Luna and the others, there isn't much we can do other than wait. Might as well do something useful with ourselves."

Noctis thought about it for a moment but between Prompto's excitement and Gladio's calm words, his mind was mostly made up. "Alright, let's help Wiz then and take out this behemoth. If we don't hear anything from Cor by the time we're done then we'll take the chocobos and head to Lestallum then Alstor."

Everyone nodded at the decision and Ignis left to speak with Wiz about the task with Gladio accompanying him. Noctis needed some help from Prompto to get to the shower, the night's adventure with Carbuncle had taken a lot of energy from him and his body was sore, though it was quickly fading away.

An hour later saw them finishing the last few preparations and eating a quick launch before going off to find Deadeye. Noctis was back to normal, other than a slight lingering exhaustion, and eager to do something that would get his mind off worrying about Luna, Nyx, Crowe and Libertus.

Wiz looks at the four men and smiles, "Thank ya kindly for helping out boys. Last I saw Deadeye was past that fence and down the dirt path you'll find there. He doesn't hide so shouldn't be hard to find him. Be careful and good hunt." He waves them off and hopes they'll be able to take Deadeye down without too much trouble.

Prompto took the lead, eager to find and deal with the behemoth that was causing so much trouble for the chocobos. His three boyfriends followed at a more sedated pace, watching the blond gunner walk eagerly onwards. It didn't take long to find the path and follow it towards where Deadeye had last been seen.

A low and drawn out growl greets them, startling Prompto into shuffling back to stand beside his friends. Ignis looked around, eyes narrowed at the sight of a few trees crashing down over the boulders lining their path. Noctis asks, "What was that?" as he follows Ignis' stare to see one last tree top shudder then fall.

Ignis glances at Gladio, the man's hand opening and closing and ready to summon either shield or sword at a moment's notice, and declares simply, "That would most likely be our target. Let's us head there and find his tracks."

It's easy enough to find the behemoth's tracks, one of utter devastation that laid flat trees and destroyed boulders into rubble. They hear the behemoth growl again and again, the sounds of falling trees punctuating the sound with thunderous cracks.

A pack of voretooth attacks them once, the quick beasts jumping from the still standing trees unto their group with abandon. Noct and Ignis take the lead on retaliating, backed up by Gladio and Prompto who ensured they weren't flanked or blindsided by the voretooth.

The small squirmish is easily dealt with but does cost them some time and they are eager to return to tracking down the behemoth as it clearly has managed to distance itself from their position easily. A fog slowly rolls in, making finding the proper path in the growing haze to be harder even with the help of the behemoth's growls.

Finally the four men end up in front of a makeshift fence of rusted metal and cement, the forgotten remains of a long lost building perhaps. Noctis sighs as he spots the low hanging entrance to some kind of passage, "I suppose we don't have much choice." Ignis shakes his head and points outs, "It appears to be our only way forward. We should proceed with caution, Deadeye may be in the area."

Noct nods once and leans forward to get in when Gladio grabs him by the arm and jerks him back with a hissed, "Noct!". The man puts himself in between the entrance and the rest of the group, one hand extended behind him to keep them away as a loud growl emerges from it.

Gladio frowns and crouches down, moving slowly inside a few feets before turning around and motioning Noct to follow, a finger over his lips to indicate the need for silence. Noctis nods again, looking over his shoulder to see Ignis motioning to Prompto to follow silently after them.

The way through the passage is slow, Gladio moving slowly and quietly, stopping every few feet to listen as growls resonate against the rocks and metal. He can hear the fast breath of Prompto behind him and the soft shift of Ignis' clothes rustling through the tall grass. They move forward together.

As the rocky passage turns into open sky bordered by rusted wires and more rock, Gladio stops suddenly and frantically motions those behind him to stop. He stares as the behemoth comes into view with slow lumbering steps. Gladio almost wants to whistle at the impressive sight but instead takes notice of the blind right eye and shorn right horn.

"Deadeye, the name says it all." Gladio mutters in a low voice, turning back to check on the others, all there and safe, before he waits for the beast to become occupied with eating. "Let's move." He whispers and waves at them to start moving forward again, the behemoth a solid presence visible through the wires on their right.

Gladio moved slowly, stopping whenever Deadeye would lift his head from his meal and waiting patiently for the behemoth return to eating before moving once more. The low wall of rocks was just high enough to hide behind as he crouched. Thankfully, the passage wasn'T overly long and Gladio could already see the end of it.

Gladio grinned and glanced backwards to check on the others only to frown at the pained expression on Noctis' face. He didn't have time to worry about it as Deadeye suddenly straightened and looked towards the small passage they were in.

Gladio threw himself forward to where he had a little more protection and flattened himself against the ground while motioning for his friends to do the same. Tense moments passed with Deadeye simply sniffing the air and Gladio hoped that the beats hadn't noticed them.

Unfortunately Deadeye had, the beast roaring in anger and snapping its maw into the small opening that existed between Gladio and Noctis. The click of teeth was audible to all, the rotten smell of Deadeye's breath blowing over them harshly until Deadeye realized that he could not reach the intruders on his territory. With a final roar, the behemoth walked away, his every step making the ground shake from its weight and power.

Gladio waited until he was certain Deadeye was gone before he slowly got back to his feet and waited for the others to get back to their own feet before continuing on. Gladio kept the pace slow and steady until they managed to get out and able to straighten once more.

Gladio frowned when he saw the way Noctis winced as he straightened, "Noct? Are you okay?" Gladio asked, moving beside him. Noctis grimaced and shook his head, "My back's acting up, just give me moment and I'll be alright."

Ignis heard the discussion and met Gladio's gaze, a silent conversation passing between them. Ignis turned to Noct and told him, "We can spare some time to rest before continuing. Prompto? Are you alright as well?" He turns to look at Prompto, camera out and taking pictures, with a slightly worried expression.

Prompto smiled and shook his head, "I'm fine. I'll keep an eye out if you want to help Gladio with Noct." He saunters over to where Noct was slowly being helped down to the ground with Gladio and give them both a quick kiss before doing the same to Ignis and stepping a bit away with his camera in hand.

Ignis smiles back and goes over to help Noctis through the exercises he must do to prevent his back from seizing. Noctis whimpers at times, when the exercises do what they're supposed to and the muscles in his back slowly loosen. Between Gladio's steady hand and Ignis' comforting ones the exercises are quickly done and Noctis is back on his feet.

The fog has grown thicker in the small amount of time spent still and they are all eager to get moving again. Gladio warned softly as they started back on the trail of Deadeye, "He's vulnerable on his right without his sight and horn there."

Ignis nods but add, "He'll be aware of it too but it may give us the advantage we need. Let us proceed carefully none the less." The fog makes it hard to keep track of the behemoth, its figure blurred and hidden within the thickening mist, and Ignis is thankful that it hides them just as much as it does Deadeye.

Tracking the behemoth leads them through what appears to be an old factory building site, its walls broken and claimed by vines and nature. Bright red barrels are scattered around the area and Ignis whispers a warning as they pass by them, "Be careful, those barrel will easily explode if hit or heated."

It's nearing late afternoon before they step out of the heavy fog and find themselves staring right at Deadeye, who was waiting for them at the top of a ruined factory building. The behemoth roars and without allowing them time to plan their attack, Deadeye jumps from its perch and runs towards them.

Gladio is quick to jerk Noctis and Prompto behind him, shouting, " Spread out and keep to his right! Prompto, get back and make sure you don't accidently hit one of the barrels when we're around!" He brings his sword out and faces the charging behemoth straight on.

Ignis is quick to follow with more instructions, " Prompto! Try to blind it completely! Noctis! Gladio! Aim for his feet! And keep an eye on his tail!" He summons his lance quickly and hurries to stand beside Noct and Gladio.

Prompto nods and hurries backwards, his hand holding his gun and he tried to follow Ignis' instruction in aiming for either his left eye or causing damage to his right side. Unfortunately while the behemoth is as big as its name suggest, Deadeye is old, strong and fast; and the bullets are shrugged aside with an angry roar.

Noctis takes Gladio's instruction to heart, for once, and warp strike Deadeye in the neck, a half-hearted attempt to replicate one of Nyx's feats that earned him his nickname of hero. His engine sword strike true, burying itself deep into the thick neck of the behemoth but Noct lack the strength or momentum to cause more than a deep cut.

He warps back to the ground as bullets fly by him, flattening himself to the ground to allow the swipe from Deadeye's claws to pass harmlessly above him. Noct is quick to get back to his feet, this time joining Gladio in targeting its remaining front foot.

Gladio swung his sword, aiming to sever the muscle or tendon and bring the behemoth down that way. It bites deeply but not deep enough and Gladio has to jump back to avoid the claws coming his way. It doesn't stop him from going right back in, swinging his sword once more and grinning as Noct joins in.

Ignis sighs as he sees Noct jumping into the fight and watches carefully as Gladio tries to take Deadeye down. A glance at Prompto over his shoulder lets him know that Prompto is being sensible and keeping his distance from Deadeye's deadly claws and teeth.

He refocuses on the fight, seeing Noctis drop down and duck under a swipe that keeps going and forces Gladio to jump backwards, he lifts his lance and follows Noctis in going to help Gladio. His lance pierces through the soft tissue even as Gladio and Noct's swords swing from opposite sides and bite deeply into the behemoth's flesh, hitting bone.

Deadeye roars and stumbles out of balance, the shuffling and heavy steps forcing the three men to back away. It allows Prompto to fire without having to worry about Noct suddenly warping into one of his bullets. The repeated bang of the gun as Prompto aims for Deadeye's remaining eye fill the clearing with echoes that almost drowns out the roar from his target.

Noctis shouts, "Great shooting Prom!" as he charges towards the out of balance behemoth. He summons his greatsword into his hands, wanting the added power for his attack. Noct grins and throws his sword upward, warping to it and bringing it falling down unto Deadeye's flank.

The attack from Noct causes the out of balance behemoth to fall sideways, crashing into the ruins of the factory. The ground shakes from the force of the fall and Noctis warps back to Ignis and Gladio's side before the behemoth hits the floor. Ignis is quick to warn, "This isn't over! Stay on your guard!" as he keeps an eye on the immobile behemoth.

Because Prompto isn't with his boyfriends, he sees the behemoth's fall from a different angle. More importantly, he see the full weight of the beast crashing toward the barrels Ignis had warned them about and Prompto shouts a warning, "Watch out! The barrels!

It isn't the crushing weight of the behemoth that causes the barrels to ignite but rather it's when Deadeye shifts in pain. Its claws run against the metallic fragments of the shattered walls and create just enough of a spark to ignite them, the fire spreading across the oil soaked fur and following the oil dripping from the remains of the crushed barrels.

The warning from Prompto is heard by Gladio, Ignis and Noctis just a moment before the fire spreads almost unnaturally fast across the oil and fur. Gladio barely has time to grab Ignis by the arm and Noct by the neck to shove them down and under him when it reaches the intact barrels lining the base of the factory walls still standing.

The explosion is staggering, powerful enough to throw Prompto back a few steps to the ground and Prompto screams in horror as he hurries back to his feet. "GUYS!" All thoughts of the behemoth is gone as soon as he run towards the burning rumbles that now stood where his boyfriends had been standing mere moments ago.

A/N: I will be without a computer for the next three weeks (until the 25th) and will not be able to update until then. Thanks for reading and feel free to send me prompts, comments and kudos!


	20. Chapter 20

Noctis grunted as Gladio practically slammed in to the ground. He opened his mouth to complain only to have his breath stolen away from him with a shattering explosion. One moment he was looking over his shoulder at Gladio and the sky above and the next, he was staring at the sight of blood pouring from Gladio's unconscious body.

The air around him was hot and he could hear and see fire crackling around him. Noctis reached out to Gladio, shouting or at least he thought he was as he could only hear his own muffled voice resonating in his skull. He felt panic claw at his throat and turned to Ignis for help.

That plan crumbled to dust the instant Noctis laid eyes on Ignis. The royal adviser was staring in outright horror above him, his eyes glazed over with panic and gasping for breath. One of his arms was pinned down under rubble and the other was clawing at his own throat.

Noctis swore, shifting as much as he could to reach Ignis and grab his free hand while trying to ignore the blood dripping over them both. His ears were ringing now and the air was getting warmer as the fire grew. Noctis gritted his teeth and tried to keep himself from panicking.

Right now he was the only one who could save them from their situation. Prompto might also be in danger with the behemoth still around and no way for them to help. Noctis looked over at Ignis, still staring wide eyed and dazed than at Gladio, still supporting the rubbles to protect them even while unconscious.

Noctis took a deep breath and then moved, bringing the last flask of ice magic into his hand and then smashing it unto the rocks above him. The ice spread quickly and easily over the surface, dropping the temperature down considerably. It would keep the fire out eternally but for the moment it gave Noctis time to think up a way to save everyone.

There was no opening for him to use to warp out and he wasn't sure he could do it while holding unto both Ignis and Gladio. The fire was dealt with but the ice had sealed any opening and that meant they might be running out of air quickly, especially with Ignis panicking as he was. He could try and summon Titan but there was no guarantee about what might happen if he did. At least the ringing in his ears was almost all gone, replaced by the sound of roaring fire.

The sound of his phone ringing shattered the frantic thoughts and Noctis scrambled with his free hand to grab it. The name on the screen sent a wave of relief and he answered desperately, "Prompto! Are you alright?" He turned and squeezed Ignis' hand as he waited for a reply.

Prompto was so relieved when Noct picked up his call, he had been trying to get close to the growing fire surrounding where the other guys had been standing mere moments ago when the rubble had been covered with ice. "Noct! That should be my question! Is everyone ok?"

Noct was quick to reply, his attention scattered between Ignis, who seemed on the verge of pasing out, and Gladio still above them. "Gladio protected us but he's badly hurt and Ignis is having a panic attack! I could try to warp but I don't have anything to warp too!"

Prompto understood and told Noct, "Lend me your Engine blade and warp to it! You should be able to do it." Prompto scrambled away from the fire until he reached a safe spot that was within Noctis' range and called for the Engine Blade. It came to him with a whisper of magic and he plunged it unto the ground.

Noct used the time Prompto took to get to a safe place to shift from under Gladio's weight and closer to Ignis. He pressed his forehead against Ignis' and whispered, "I'm getting you out of here Iggy, just hold on a bit longer." He wasn't sure if Ignis could hear him in the state he was in but he knew that just hearing someone talking around him would help Ignis a lot.

When Noctis felt the pull of his Engine Blade leaving his personal area of his arsenal, he wrapped his arms around Ignis as much as he could. He looked up at Gladio's body and muttered, "I'll be right back for you.", before warping to his favorite sword.

Prompto was there by with a potion for Ignis and Noct appeared in a shattering of blue crystal. Noct shook his head and left Ignis to Prompto before warping back to Gladio, grabbing his unconscious Shield and returning to Prompto's side.

Now in the sun and being able to see his boyfriends injuries clearly, Noctis found himself shaking at the sight. Gladio's back was burnt and torn by rock shards and metal, shrapnel still imbedded in his flesh. Ignis' hand, the one that had been stuck under the rubble, was even worse as the rubble had crushed his hand almost completely making the flesh purple and swollen.

Prompto had already poured a potion over Ignis' hand while Noct went back to grab Gladio but it had no effect. When Noct appeared with Gladio, Prompto gasped audibly at the sight of his ruined back and said, "We can't help them Noct! We don't have enough potions and we have nothing for you to make into elixirs!" Prompto stripped off his shirt and handed it to Noctis to use as make-shift bandage for Gladio's back.

Noctis bit his lips and grabbed the shirt offered by Prompto to push on Gladio's bleeding back. It drew a groan of pain from the man. Noct shook his head to clear his head and thought about what they needed to do and brought out their last potion and breaking it over Gladio's injuries.

It didn't help as much as he would have hoped, the cuts barely healing and the blood still pouring from the many injuries. He glanced over at Prompto and saw him trying his best to splint Ignis hand while whispering to him.

Ignis' uninjured hand was gripping Prompto's arm as he gasped for breath. His eyes still held a terrified look but he was responding to Prompto in between gasps. Prompto's hands were as careful as he could be in moving the still broken hand though it looked much better after a potion. Ignis breathing was calming down though he still flinched whenever the fire would crackle particularly loudly behind them.

From what Noct was able to hear, Ignis was telling Prompto how to correctly place splints. He returned his attention to Gladio, checking the state of the bleeding and found it to have thankfully slowed down to a mere trickle.

"Gladio's bleeding is slowing down." Noctis told Ignis and Prompto. They needed to figure out what to do now. A hand touched his own, snapping Noct's attention away from the surrounding down to Gladio who was now awake.

Gladio slowly pushed himself up to his knees, ignoring Noctis' attempts to get him to stop and grunted, "I'm okay Noct. What about you? Ignis?" His face was pale and twisted in pain even as he forced himself to turn to face Noctis. His eyes searched for injuries on the young king but found only small scratches, a relief for the Amicitia.

Noctis gripping Gladio's arm, both in worry and as a way to help Gladio stay upright as the larger man swayed in place. "Ignis' hand got crushed but otherwise we're alright. You have the worst injuries and we don't have anything to make into elixirs or potions." Noct wrapped Gladio's arm around his shoulders when Gladio struggled to his feet.

Prompto was putting the last touch to his makeshift splint, made of broken pieces of metal rods he found around and his bandana. He kept an eye on Gladio and Noct but most of his focus was on the slowly winding down Ignis. "Hey Iggy, looks like Gladio's being stubborn again. Think you can sit up for me?"

Ignis was still reeling from his panic attack, the sound of the fire was just a tad too close for his comfort right now but at least he was able to understand and speak again. He nodded and forced himself to release the grip he had on Prompto's arm with a muttered, "I… I believe so." His body felt stiff and slow to answer his commands but with Prompto's help, he managed to sit up.

Noct helped Gladio limp slowly the short distance to Ignis and Prompto before Gladio's legs gave out and he collapsed with a bitten off grunt. Noct was at least able to slow down his collapse so he didn't make his injuries worse but both Ignis and Prompto nearly lunged at Gladio when it happened.

Ignis cleared his throat, eyes still somewhat dazed, and suggested in a slow and hesitant voice, "Perhaps we should find a heaven close by. I do not believe we will be able to return to Wiz's place as we are now." He reached out to rest a trembling hand on Gladio's arm and smiled hesitantly at Noctis and Prompto.

Noct frowned and asked, "Is there one? A haven around here I mean…" He couldn't remember if there was one and from the slow realization on Ignis' face there wasn't. Noctis gritted his teeth, they needed to at least get to a defendable area in the... 4 hours or so of daylight left.

A heavy silence fell over the group until Gladio grunted in pain as he shifted from kneeling down to sitting on the ground. "Prompto, grab Noct and get back to the Farm." Gladio ordered.

He brought up his hand to forestall any complaints from them. "Neither me or Ignis are in any shape to be able to move and there is no way for us to get to Wiz's before night fall. Daemons might not be as active as 10 years ago but it's still too dangerous to simply stay out here once night fall. Noct need to be somewhere safe by then." He explained, looking over to Ignis who nodded in agreement.

Prompto waited until Gladio was done before getting angry, "And what about you two? There is no way daemons won't show at least once or twice during the night and there's no way you can fight Gladio! Ignis might not be able to do so either!"

He shifted his gaze from one to the other, angry at the calm but determined expression the two men in question had on their faces. Prompto glared at them and declared, "I'm not leaving you two idiots out here alone. No matter what!" He saw Noct nodding as the king joined Prompto in glaring at their foolish boyfriends.

The debate was ended rather suddenly by the awkward cough of someone making their presence known after hearing thing they shouldn't have. The four Lucian swiftly jerked to stare at the man in hunter garb standing right up the ridge with an embarrassed and uncomfortable expression on his face.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting but…Wait! Ain't you boys the men I met in Hammerhead? You helped me when I got injured." The man said as he slowly approached, recognition growing in his eyes. He frowned at the appearance of the four boys in front of him and the dead behemoth slowly being cooked by the fire.

Gladio gave a rough chuckled, his body relaxing from its tense state as he recognized the man, "You're Dave right? The one Cindy was worried about. Didn't expect to see you around here." He winced at the slight movement, his eyes screwing shut for a moment.

Noct bit his lip and turned to Dave, "We need to get back to Wiz's place. Please!" The hunter nodded and Noct gave a soft sigh of relief. He checked on Ignis and Prompto, "Prom, can you help Ignis? I'll take care of Gladio."

Dave frowned and looked at all of the young men and sighed, "My truck's nearby. I'll drive you all back." He knelt by Gladio and Noctis and asked, "Can you stand up? Just lean on me and we'll get you to my truck. I got some elixirs there too." He grunted as he helped Gladio to his feet, trying to limit anything that could hurt Gladio more.

Noctis got up as well, taking Gladio's other arm over his shoulders and they waited patiently for Prompto to help Ignis to his feet. Dave lead the way with slow steps, making certain that the other two could keep up.

Noctis glanced over at Dave after checking on Gladio, who was panting and trying to keep himself from showing just how much pain he was in. "Why were you at the old factory Dave?" He asked softly as they walked.

Dave glanced at Noctis before answering, "Got called in to help out with Deadeye over there. A lot of hunters tried to get him but failed. I was going to try to take him down and gather the tags for the families but I guess you boys beat me to him."

Prompto chimed in from behind them, "Tags?" He resettled Ignis' arm over his shoulder and squeezed the man's waist softly. He whispered to Ignis, "Are you alright Iggy?" The answering nod was weak and Prompto simply tightened his grip over Ignis's waist.

Dave cast a look over his shoulder as he explained, "Us hunters keep them on our person at all times as identification. Hunting's a dangerous job, sometime these tags are the only thing that get back in one piece. We try to return them to their families when we can."

Dave motioned with his head to an old beat up truck that was parked down the hill. "There she is. The elixirs are in the box in the back. Should be a first aid kit there too so we can get those pieces of shrapnel out before giving you an elixir." He helped Gladio sit on the edge of the truck bed as Noctis got the first aid kit and the box of elixirs.

Ignis received one for his hand as Dave started picking out the shrapnel from Gladio's back. Noctis held Gladio, who buried his face in the nook of Noctis' neck. Grunt of pains escaped the paling Gladio as Dave worked and it was with relief that he passed out form the pain when Dave took out a particularly large piece of twisted metal.

Dave didn't waste any more time after that, quickly working to take out the few remaining pieces of shrapnel before cracking an elixir over the bleeding back. He turned to the young raven haired man and said, "You'd best help me lie him down and hop on up with him. I'll get you all to safety before night falls."

Prompto had taken Ignis into the truck's backseat once his hand was fixed and tucked the still dazed man against his chest. "Try and get some rest Iggy, we're safe now. I'll wake you up once we get back to safety." He gave the man a quick kiss, before glancing out the back window to where Gladio and Noct were getting help from Dave.

They left quickly once Gladio and Noct were safe in the back, Dave jumping into the driver seat and driving his old truck back unto the nearly abandoned road as the sun set. The drive to Wiz's Chocobo Farm was quiet and thankfully didn't last long.

Their arrival was met by Wiz himself as well as a few staff members who helped get Gladio out of the truck and into the room they had used the previous night. Prompto woke Ignis up and herded Ignis into the same bed. Noct and Prompto shared a satisfied look as Prompto tucked the blanket firmly around Ignis and Gladio's intertwined body.

They stepped out of the room, not wanting to risk disturbing their boyfriends, and Prompto sank down on the floor by the door. "Let's not do that again, okay Noct?" Prompto sighed, burying his head against his knees.

Noct dropped down beside him and drew him into a one armed hug, "I couldn't agree more. That was way too close for comfort." He glanced behind at the closed door and added, "You think they'll be okay?"

Prompto leaned into the embrace as he replied, "They will, I'm more worried about Nyx and Uncle. We haven't heard anything from them. That's unlike Uncle." Prompto bit his lips and fell silent.

Noct sighed and got back up slowly with a wince and turned to Prompto, "Come on. Ignis is going to get mad at us if we don't at least try to wash up and grab something to eat." He smiled in relief when Prompto followed after him and they both headed back to the other room to clean up as they waited for any kind of news.


	21. Chapter 21

A shout startled both young men out of the dozzing state they had been in. "Who the hell do you think you are?" Noct and Prompto both jumped to their feets, sharing a worried look before Prompto started towards the stairs.

Noct stared at Prompto's back, worried, but stayed by the door leading to Ignis and Gladio. If Niflheim had found them then Noct wanted, no...needed, to be close to both of his recovering boyfriends.

Prompto summoned a gun and silently started stalking down the stairs, hugging the wall as he tried to spot any hint of what was happening. He pressed his lips together in concentration, wondering why they hadn't heard any more shouting, only muttered words whose meaning went unheard.

The answer came when black covered limbs came into Prompto's view, a familiar uniform worn by familiar people. Prompto sighed in relief and hurried down the last few stairs with an exclaimed "Nyx! You're alright!"

The shout died down almost as soon as it crossed his lips as he stared at the Glaives in ripped uniforms, covered in burn marks, blood and sweat. Luna stood beyond the Glaives, looking just as exhausted and pale as Crowe was, standing beside her and supporting most of the Oracle's weight.

Nyx twirled around at Prompto's shout, his face lighting up in a brief smile before darkening into a scowl. "Got a place we can sit and talk? Where are the others?"

Prompto motioned for them to come up before he turned to smile at Wiz, "Sorry about this Wiz! I'll take care of them."

Wiz nodded, frowning slightly, and left the kitchen as the small group of 5 made their slow way past Prompto. The gunner didn't follow them back up right away, choosing to walk to the fridge and pull out a pitcher of water and enough glasses for everyone.

Noct had felt most of his tension bleed out when Prompto had named the newcomers but it came back, stronger than before, when he actually saw them walk up the stairs. "Shit! What the hell happened? Where's Cor?" He opened the door beside him and motioned for all of the Glaives and Luna to get in. Ignis and Gladio would need to hear this.

While Noct woke both men up, the other five settled around the small room, weary and worryingly silent. Prompto's arrival was the only sound other than the shifting of clothing or sheets as Ignis and Gladio pulled themselves out of bed to learn what had happened since that morning.

-That morning-

Nyx swore as he hung up on Ignis, his eyes staring at the airships approaching and the Niflheim trucks coming to a screeching halt in front of the dingy motel they had fled too after the covenant with Titan. Already MTs were swarming out of the trucks, followed by the human troops that were now always present, _all with the same blank face under the armor_ , and Nyx turned to shout at Crowe, "Get Luna out of here! We'll hold them back!"

Pelna is already up and facing the door with Libertus at his side, blades glinting in the dawn. Nyx doesn't have time to glance back towards the bathroom, where Luna and Crowe had disappeared too an hour or so ago, as the door trembles in its frame before shattering inwards.

MTs crawl through the wood fragments, the click of metal on stone a warning and a signal. Pelna strikes first, his favorites throwing knifes slicing through air to bury themselves in the metallic face of the first three MTs.

Libertus is right there beside him then past Pelna as he charges into the fray without a second thought, trusting his friends to back him up as he stabs at the soldiers who had destroyed their first home and captured their second one.

Nyx goes right after Libs, his Kukris dancing around him in flashes of silver and red and for a moment he thinks they might be able to get out of this without losing anyone. It doesn't last as the whistling sound of something heavy dropping from above is heard mere instants before a shockwave throws them all to the ground.

Nyx scrambles to his feet, fear making him whip around to stare at what remained of the bathroom, burning and buried in brick and mortar from the bomb, _a bomb!,_ The airship above them had dropped. His heart is in his mouth, stomach churning at the possibility that the most important ladies in his life were no more and he can't hold back the choked sob of relief when he hears Crowe swearing as rubbles shift under her strength.

Crowe pushes the bricks off her with a pained groan and shoots Luna a glance, _she's alright only a few scratches,_ before moving to take down the first wave of MTs dropping down through the shattered ceiling. Luna gets to her feet and hurried to help, her trident in hand and a grim but determined expression clear on her pale face.

The four Glaives and the Oracle take down 6 MTs for every scratch or injury they get but those pile up quickly when you're in a small room with fire at your back and facing an almost endless amount of troops that don't tire easily. Nyx screams when an MT makes it past Libertus' guard and shoves a poisoned dagger hilt deep into his right leg. He take the MT down almost instantly but the damage is done and Nyx isn't quick enough to realize that it was a trap.

The sniper's bullet pierces through his side, nicking a rib before lodging itself in his lung. Nyx coughs as breathing becomes impossible, blood flecks landing in his mouth and on his chin with each jerk.

He is down on his knees before realizing it, Libertus' pale and terrified face the last thing he sees before passing out.

Waking up is a surprise for Nyx, the copper taste of blood coating his tongue and the pain of each breath quickly bringing him around. Not that it does much good as a foot comes down on his back when he tries to scramble back up.

"Leave him alone!" The voice is Luna's and Nyx opens his eyes to see her boots, ( _a sight he will NEVER admit to knowing all too well and with great pleasure),_ right by his face. He strains his neck to look up and sees his Luna, fierce and concealing her fear and worry, glaring at a blond human officer whose foot was on the Glaive's back.

The officer scoffs but backs away after a few seconds and Luna relaxes just a tiny bit before looking down and meeting Nyx's eyes. She doesn't move or say anything, just presses her lips together until they are as white as the rest of her face and Nyx forces himself to his knees despite finding his hands tied together in the small of his back.

A look around shows Nyx they are still at the outpost, the burning hotel to his right and the kneeling shapes of his family not far from him. Nyx sweeps his eyes over Pelna, his chest is showing through what was left of his shirt, blood running out of the once deep cut running from his collar to mid chest; Libertus, face screwed tight with pain as he kneels in a growing circle of blood; and Crowe, gagged and almost hogtied with a damn collar around her neck like she was some kind of animal.

Nyx bites down on the growl that wants to escape, Luna had obviously done her best to heal them all, probably as much as the Niffs had allowed her too at the very least, and tries to figure out a way to get them out of this situation alive. The officer Luna had stared down was coming back, a pleased grin on his lips, and Luna shifts just enough to be between the Niff and the Glaives.

"I would suggest you say your farewells Lady Oracle. Your escort will be here shortly and we have been given permission to restrain you should you act out of line. " The man declares with a mocking bow. Luna tenses up, Nyx sees the slight tremble that passes through her and he does something that will get him in trouble later.

"I see Nifs are just as cowardly as I remember. Hiding behind machine even when dealing with a single woman? Pathetic." Nyx drawls slowly, every word painful as his lungs and ribs protest against his actions. Nyx forces a smirk on his face and waits as the officer turns away from Lunafreya, face growing red with anger. The order is said surprisingly calmly, the voice shaking with restrained fury, "Kill him."

As the MTs raise their guns and the humans follow closely behind, a small silver ball rolls into the gathered troops unnoticed until it have a single beep before exploding in a flash of blue and white light. The shockwave of electricity and magic bursts from its casing and sweeps across the area with ease.

Nyx doesn't have time to react before the Electric Burst Bomb goes off and throws him on Luna. He is breathless as Cor appears with several Crownguard and Hunters to cut down the human soldiers who were left unharmed by one of Prompto's many inventions. Thin but strong hands are on his own quickly, Luna working to get rid of the ropes holding Nyx still.

Cor is by their side, face blank and sword dripping with blood, as Nyx gets back on his feet. The Marshall sweeps over the two before he nods and orders, "Get the Oracle to safety!" He seems almost unconcerned with the airships filling to the ground around them.

It's an order Nyx can easily follow, as he grabs Luna by the arm and accepts the kukris thrust at him by a Hunter with his free hand. Nyx sees similar scenes playing out with Pelna, Libertus and Crowe as Hunters help them up and gives them back their weapons.

The Glaives waste no time, heading straight for the closest truck, a scene earily reminiscent of their escape from another Niflheim base not too long ago, and taking down anyone in their way. Nyx pushes Luna into the back, Crowe and Libertus pilling in on either side of her while Pelna drops himself into the passenger seat. Nyx thanks the Astrals under his breath as he jumps behind the wheel and finds the keys in the ignition.

As they drive away, Nyx pressing the gas pedal almost to the floor in his haste, they can see Cor starting to order a retreat though the Marshall makes no such movements himself, a steadfast figure among the flames.

Nyx stops only once, to buy some first aid kits and some potions from a vendor, and to let Pelna check for a tracker on the truck. They don't head to the Chocobo post right away, none of them willing to risk bringing the Niflheim troops on their heels.

-Chocobo Post-

The room falls silent as Nyx finishes talking, the events recounted were worrying in their very existence. Nyx finishes his glass of water before speaking again, voice rough, "We haven't heard anything from the Marshall since, what about you?"

Prompto shook his head, "We haven't heard anything from anyone since this morning." He got up and started pacing nervously, "Should we call?"

For a long moment, no one answers. "I believe we should try and contact your father or Ignis' Uncle." Luna said softly, a frown marring her features. "They should be made aware of these events. It troubles me that Niflheim seems to have so little trouble finding us despite our attempts not to be noticed."

Ignis nodded as he took out his phone, "It certainly is worrying. I shall call my Uncle and see if he has any ideas or advice for us." The adviser looks over the mismatched and weary group and adds, "I believe some proper food would be wise as well, for all of us. I shall see what Wiz can spare and make something while you all clean up."

Nyx grins and gives the man a lazy salute before getting to his feet and asking, "So is there more than a single shower?" The left over tension drains almost instantly and Noct shows the Glaives and Luna the extra room they took at Wiz's insistance.

Ignis heads to the kitchen, his mind running through the list of ingredients he had stored in the ether as he waits for his Uncle to answer the phone. He is taking out the garula meat and some peppers when Ventus answers.

Ignis smiled softly as he greets him, "Hello Uncle. I hope I am not interrupting anything?"

Ventus answers with a somewhat worried tone, " Not at all Ignis. is everything alright?"

Ignis hums and quickly recounts what had transpired since their departure from Lestallum almost 2 days ago and finishes by asking, "Have you heard from Cor since this morning?"

Ventus' reply is faltering, "Not from Cor but… Iris seems to have gone missing. Talcot said he saw her hovering around the trucks Cor and the Hunters were using but no one has seen her since."

Ignis jerks up in horror, "You don't think she would have… No she would. Damn it! I need to let Gladio know. Can you call me if you hear anything from anyone?"

He barely waits for his Uncle to answer before he hangs up, turns the stove off and practically runs up the stairs. Ignis slams the door open, startling Gladio and Prompto.

"Iggy? Whats wrong?" Prompto asks as he takes in the wide eyed look of fear and horror Ignis has.

The adviser sucks in a deep breath before he speaks, "Iris has gone missing, Uncle thinks she might have followed Cor when he left to go help Lunafreya, Nyx and the others this morning."

Gladio stares at Ignis for a single heartbeat before swearing and lunging for his phone. He has it calling his stubborn sister within seconds and the three men wait with batted breath for an answer.

A/N: I started taking a uni class and its draining my energy by a lot. Sorry for the slow updates but I will continue to update as I can until this story/series is finished. Thank you for your patience.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: A big thanks to BarefootBassist for helping me sort out the continuity of this chapter.

The phone rings several times, and Gladio is about to hang up when someone finally answers. "Gladdy?"

"Iris! Thank the gods, where are you? Are you alright?" Gladio asks quickly, his shoulders slumping down in relief. The other guys do the same, Noct sat down on the bed as relief left him shaking.

"What's wrong Gladdy? I'm okay! Why are you asking?" Iris replied, confused.

Gladio frowned; he had noticed Iris hadn't answered where she was. "I just heard from Ventus that you disappeared from The Leville. So where are you?"

Iris didn't answer and Gladio was about to press his sister for an answer when he heard another voice answer for her.

"She's with me Gladio. I'm bringing her back to Lestallum and she will be punished for sneaking out like that. Have you heard from Lady Lunafreya or Ulric's group?" Cor said simply.

Gladio tensed in surprised then slumped even more as he said, "I'll put you on speaker, Marshall." He ignored the confused look from his boyfriends as he pulled the phone away from his ear and thumbed the speaker function on. "Glaive Ulric arrived about an hour ago with Lady Lunafreya and the rest of his group. They're cleaning up at the moment."

Cor spoke softly to someone on the other side of the call before speaking. "I'm glad they arrived safely. I have some information that you all need to know… We might have found where they're holding Ravus."

"What?" "Ravus!" "Where?" The shouts rose from Noctis, Prompto and Gladio at the announcement. Ignis didn't say anything but he got up to stand beside Gladio.

Cor waited a bit, "We were able to gather this information from one of the destroyed airships before leaving the area. It seems he was sent to a base off the Cleigne area. I've already sent a few of the Crownsguard to monitor it."

"When are we hitting it?" demanded Noctis.

"I will let you know when we have confirmed this information. For now, Your Majesty needs to concentrate on receiving the Astrals' blessing and finding as many of the Royal arms as possible." Cor sounded tired as he spoke.

Gladio watches as Noct bites his lip and clenched his hands into fists. He shares a worried look with Ignis, "Thanks for letting us know Sir. Is there anything else you wished to say?"

Cor sighed, "How are you four holding up?"

Prompto was the one who replied with a slightly forced cheerfulness, "We're doing okay Uncle! Resting up and planning what to do next."

Cor chuckled, "Glad to hear it. You boys stay safe and be careful while moving around. Niflheim isn't going to rest until they have you in their hands."

The conversation ended with Iris talking to Gladio for a bit longer. Ignis managed to convince Noctis and Prompto to help him with making supper for everyone.

Nyx, Crowe, Libertus, Pelna and Luna joined them soon after; and with Gladio completing their group, Ignis and Prompto served up the supper. As they started eating, Crowe grinned and elbowed Pelna, "Not only do you arrive right on time to help fight the Nifs this morning, you also get to taste Ignis' cooking as a reward."

Pelna flushed at the teasing tone, "Not like I planned my arrival that way. Lance asked me to go help you out. We just got lucky that I saw you and Libs heading out."

Nyx grinned, "You certainly scared us, showing up like that. Though it sucks we lost those new communicators you smuggled out." His annoyance was plain to see to everyone sitting at the table.

Prompto glanced up from his plate and asked with obvious curiosity, "New communicators?"

Pelna nodded, "Yup, Ravus asked me to improve on our old ones. I managed to make them more efficient without changing the power source, and added some encryption to the signal. Thankfully they're not usable without a confirmed DNA lock so the Nifs won't be able to use them."

Ignis spoke softly, "Thank the Six for small favors." He looked around the table before he told Luna and the Glaives about the news from Cor.

Luna hid her face in her hands but her breathless, "Thank the Astrals" was heard by everyone. Nyx reached out and kissed her forehead with a determined look in his eyes.

Crowe hissed, "We want in on hitting that base if it has the Commander. The Astrals aren't going anywhere." Pelna nodded beside her.

Libertus nodded and added, "The more the merrier after all. And we owe the Nif's more than a little payback."

Noctis grinned and promised, "The moment Cor confirms Ravus is there, we head over and get him back."

Ignis cleared his throat, " You will find no objection from anyone here but I believe that we should plan what to do until such confirmation arrives." He looked at Luna and asked, "Which of the Astrals did you wish to visit next?"

Luna hummed thoughtfully before she replied, "Leviathan is in Altissa and Ifrit was banished by Bahamut, so the only one we can seek out in Lucis is Ramuh. Thankfully we do not need to go anywhere."

Prompto asked, confused, "We don't?"

Luna chuckled and explained, "Ramuh has always been a rather free spirited Astral who dislikes being bound to any one place. I merely need to call to him for him to grace us with his presence."

Nyx have the Oracle a pointed look. "Which won't happen until everyone is well rested."

Luna gave him a pout but reluctantly nodded. Crowe leaned across the table and flicked her forehead with a grin. She ignored the shriek of protest from Luna as she spoke, "We sleep tonight, and tomorrow I'll go grab some herbs and make some medicine for you."

Noctis looked up from his plate suddenly and groaned. He waved off the looks of confusion from around the table and quickly swallowed before grumbling, "I forgot that you guys lost your magic…. You should have said something earlier!"

The Glaives shared amused looks and Nyx drawled, "Right. And when would have been a good time? We've been running around quite a bit, princeling."

Noctis let his head fall unto the table wordlessly. Gladio sighed and ran his hand over Noct's back in slow circles.

He looked over at the Glaives, "Guess that means we'll have to do a swearing-in ceremony tomorrow morning."

Prompto grinned, his fingers twitching as he chirped, "Oh, then I demand we take pictures of everyone!"

Libertus groaned and the table erupted in laughter. With a much lighter mood, the discussion turned to more mundane things such as King's Knight and various hobbies.

The night was quiet though both groups found themselves tightly packed in their respective rooms. Ignis was glad that the night was cold for the season; as being stuck between Gladio and Prompto meant he was overly warm even after stripping himself, and the others, naked.

After a delicious breakfast, made by Ignis and Libertus, they rented chocobos from Wiz and left the farm. Prompto challenged Nyx to a race and won with a breathtaking grin plastered on his face. It disappeared when Nyx leaned over to kiss him silly as 'prize' before the Glaive fell in step beside Gladio.

They stopped mid-morning on top of a hill and Noctis sighed, "This is as good a place any. You four alright with doing this?"

Nyx looked over at Crowe, teasing Prompto about the kiss; then Libertus, discussing a recipe with Ignis. Pelna was beside Gladio, keeping an eye on Luna as she got off her chocobo unsteadily. "Might as well. It's not a fancy hall but the view from up here could easily be a painting for one."

Noct smirked, "And people say you have no taste."

Nyx laughed and waved the other two over. Noctis grinned back and walked over to Gladio and Luna. "Are you feeling alright Luna?"

Luna nodded - she'd been sick that morning, and it had taken a potion and a tea from Crowe before she had been well enough to actually stand by herself. "I'm feeling much better already, Noct." She gave him a small smile.

Noct was still worried, but for now they had a ceremony to perform. Ignis moved to stand by his right; Gladio and Luna staying to his left as the four Glaives knelt down in front of Noctis.

Noctis sent a quick, amused, look to Prompto who had his camera in hand and was already snapping away with a wide grin. He took a deep breath and started, "Nyx Ulric, Crowe Altius, Libertus Ostium, Pelna Khara: you have sworn an oath to the Crown and Lucis. Today We ask, will you renew this oath and swear to serve and protect Us and the citizen of Our country?"

Nyx went first, his voice steady and strong, "I, Nyx Ulric, renew my oath to the King, the Crown and its Citizens. May the Astrals serve as my witness."

Crowe was next, "I, Crowe Altius, renew my oath to the King, the Crown and its Citizens. May the Astrals serve as my witness."

Pelna waited a few moments before speaking up, "I, Pelna Khara, renew my oath to the King, the Crown and its Citizens. May the Astrals serve as my witness."

Finally Libertus completed the group's swearing in, "I, Libertus Ostium, renew my oath to the King, the Crown and its Citizens. May the Astrals serve as my witness."

Noctis took a deep breath and spoke again, "We have heard your oaths renewed and accept them. Present to Us your weapons so We may bestow Our magic upon you."

In almost perfect synchronization, the Glaives took out their weapons of choice. Nyx presented his Kukris, Crowe one of her throwing daggers, Pelna his s-shaped short blade and Libertus his pair of curved daggers. Noct reached out, putting each weapon in his Armiger before returning it to each Glaive.

Nyx welcomed the sensation of the Crystal's magic burning through his veins. He had, strangely, missed the sensation since King Regis' death. A glance to his friends told him they too had missed it.

Crowe pushes herself up and grinned. "Now that we're set I'd like to test it out. Come on Princess, let go make you feel better." She motioned for the Oracle to follow her and they sat down a few feet away, facing each other.

As Crowe tried out the feel of Noctis' magic by giving Luna some energy, Nyx challenged Gladio to a spar. Gladio grinned widely, summoning his sword and taking a slow swing at the Glaive. Nyx warped right past him, staggering when he reappeared, and threw himself into the spar with relish.

Pelna and Libs shared exasperated glances with one another before they started getting used to Noctis' slightly different magic. Ignis kept a watchful eye on everyone, sighing when Noct dropped at his feet and took out his phone to play King's Knight. Prompto circled around them all, taking more pictures and occasionally cheering Nyx or Gladio on as they fought.

A quick early lunch later, and Luna stood at the top of the hill with Noctis at her side and the rest of their friends standing in a protective circle at its base. She took a deep breath and started singing to awaken Ramuh and summon him to her.

Her voice rang out, magic lending her song and voice strength. Storm clouds started to gather, slowly at first but quickly filling the sky with their darkness.

Luna's song became more insistent as the sunshine faded and was replaced by rain. Winds gathered and whipped the cold rain drops into a fury as a large figure slowly descended from among the storm.

Ramuh looked upon the Oracle and the King of the Stone, and spoke with a thunderous rumble. **Greetings to the Oracle and her King. Have you come for my blessing?**

Luna looked up at the Astral and returned the greeting. "Greetings, Bringer of Storms. The Chosen King stands before you and asks for your blessing."

Ramuh stared at the small figures standing together for a moment, then the Astral turned and pointed with his staff. Vivid purple lightning streaked out from the clouds, forming jagged lines of light that hit Eos in three places before disappearing.

He returned his gaze to the humans and told the Chosen King, **Go forth and gather my blessings. For your journey shall show you what you must protect.**

Noct listened as Luna translated Ramuh's words against the roar of the winds and turned to take note of where the lightning had struck. As he did so, Ramuh disappeared in a flash of his lightning, leaving behind only the smell of rain and burnt air.

Luna staggered where she stood and Noct was quick to grab her before she fell. "Luna!" He exclaimed, worried by how pale she looked.

Luna panted harshly, a hand gripping at her chest as she leaned on Noctis heavily. Noctis looked over his shoulder, seeing his friends running towards him and shouted at Nyx, "Nyx! Get the chocobos!"

The man whistled as soon as he heard the order without stopping. He was at their side, hands reaching to pick Luna up the moment he was close enough to do so.

Noctis looked at Luna and made up his mind, "Nyx, take the others and head back to the farm with Luna. She's done her part. I'll take care of the rest."

Luna opened blurry eyes at that and looked at Noctis sadly. She reached out with a trembling hand and whispered to him when he took her hand, "I'm sorry Noct."

Noctis shook his head, "It's alright Luna. You just focus on taking care of yourself okay?"

Gladio put an arm over Noctis shoulders and looked at Luna, "Don't worry about Noct. We'll make sure he doesn't do anything crazy."

Prompto nodded from the opposite side from Noct, "Yup! You go and rest Luna. You'll need to be well rested to help Ravus, after all!"

Luna gave a weak laugh before she started coughing, and Nyx growled in worry. Crowe appeared by his side, leading his chocobo, and he quickly got on it while holding Luna tightly.

Libertus had Crowe's chocobo ready, and Pelna was leading Luna's. Once the four Glaives were mounted, Libertus called on his magic and created a shield to keep the rain from soaking them further as they headed back to Wiz's Chocobo Farm.

Noct watched as they were quickly swallowed by the pouring rain and finally shook himself out of his worried state. He faced his friends and declared, "Let's do this."


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Big thanks to BareBassist for helping me out with plot direction :) I can't believe how much help she's been since she accepted my request to be my beta/editor!

Noctis pulled himself up on his chocobo and looked over to his friends. "Ready?" They all nodded grimly. The rain hadn't stopped since Ramuh had returned to wherever the astral considered home.

Ignis took a sharp breath and pointed over Noct's shoulder, "It would appear Ramuh doesn't want us to get lost." Noctis turned and saw what Ignis had noticed earlier than anyone. Three purple lightnings struck through the sky every few seconds, a clear indication for the four men on where their destination awaited.

Prompto whistled, "Ramuh is definitely way cooler than Titan." The others chuckled at his declaration but no one disagreed. They headed over to the closest spot, directly west of where Luna had performed the ceremony. As they approached the mountain side, Prompto spotted several airships slowly coming over the mountains. "Heads up guys! Looks like we might get some company."

Ignis pulled up beside Prompto and starred in the direction his blond friend was pointing at, "We may be able to avoid a fight, should they not see us." He glanced around before nodding, "Let us hurry up and get to the forest." He signalled his chocobo to start running and the others followed right behind their spectacled lover.

They somehow managed to reach the edge of the forest without being spotted and they watched silently as the 6 airships flew high above them. Noct watched their flight path and frowned. "They're heading towards Lestallum." He glanced at Gladio and saw the first touch of fear and slight panic in his Shield's eyes. "Call them."

Gladio glanced over to his king as his hand reached into his pocket and brought out his phone. He was dialing it before it was by his ear, but the lack of ringtone had him swearing and looking down at the screen with an angry growl. "I don't have a signal. What about you guys?"

Noct, Ignis and Prompto quickly checked their phone and shook their head. Gladio growled and quickly made a quick text to send to everyone he knew in Lestallum, hoping that they would come across a signal long enough for the text to be sent.

They continued on foot, leaving their chocobos at the entrance of the forest as they moved towards the purple lightning flashing through the branches. The four men passed through the forest and slowly wandered down the canyon waiting on the other side. At the very bottom of the canyon stood a sight that sent Prompto scrambling for his camera with a gleeful shriek.

The dead tree stood alone and almost invisible against the rocky backdrop, the lightning flashing to illuminate it in bright purple with every strike. Prompto was snapping pictures as they slowly made their way to it and Noctis waited until Prompto was satisfied before approaching it.

The moment his hand touched the tree, Noctis was forced to take a sharp breath as the lightning jumped from the tree into the middle of his palm. He wanted to flinched away but his hand seemed glued to the rough bark as a fraction of the Fulgarian's power filled his body.

When the strange grip of the power-filled tree finally let him go, Noct gasped painfully and staggered away. Ignis was right there to catch him before his knees buckled and helped him stagger away from the now dead tree. Prompto slipped Noct a water bottle, watching with concern as his boyfriend practically drained it within a few gulps. Gladio hovered over them all, alternating between keeping an eye out for signs of enemies and looking with worry at Noctis.

It took a good quarter of an hour before Noctis felt well enough to stand without help. He could feel the lightning jumping through his bones for all that time and sighed in relief when it finally stopped. Gladio helped him up, "You doing okay?"

Noctis nodded, "That stung like hell but I'll live. Let's head to the next one; it should be by the Alstor Slough." He took a few deep breaths, then called their chocobos over.

Ignis and Gladio shared a silent conversation as they waited for the chocobos to arrive. When they did, Gladio stopped Noct from mounting his chocobo and asked softly, "Be honest, do you think you can ride by yourself?" Noct frowned for a moment before he nodded firmly. Gladio sighed, "Fine, but no going on ahead by yourself. You're staying by my side, got it?"

They joined Ignis and Prompto with their chocobos and headed north towards the Slough. Lightning strikes made it easy to find their way through the increasing rain but as they slowly approached the rocky edge of the Slough two airship came into view. At least two dozen soldiers were waiting for them.

Ignis sighed as they stopped right out of sight from the patrolling soldiers, "This will be troublesome. Prompto? How many of those are MTs?"

Prompto shook his head, "None of them, strangely. Do… Do you think they're all those clones?"

Noct shuffled his chocobo over to Prompto and leaned over to press his forehead against Prompto's, "They aren't you Prom. If you aren't comfortable with fighting them then that's okay. We can handle a mere two dozen with the three of us."

Prompto bit his lip in worry but then stole a quick kiss from Noct before he smiled softly and whispered, "I'm okay Noct, thanks. But I'm staying by your side no matter what." Prompto felt satisfied when Noctis blushed prettily.

Ignis smiled at the whispered conversation between his two youngest lovers though he kept his attention on the soldiers by the airships. Gladio rode over and Ignis muttered, head tilting towards their enemy, "They seem to be expecting something to happen."

Gladio hummed in agreement, his eyes narrowing, "Well, Ramuh did make a show in the area; they might have figured out that we're here." His hands opened and closed as though ready to summon his sword at any moment.

Ignis sighed. "Regardless of why they are here, the fact remains that they are in the way and must be dealt with." He smiled at Noctis and Prompto before asking, "What do you want to do, Noctis?"

Noct fixed the Niflheim soldiers in a glare and simply stated, "Let's take them out."

Gladio grinned and summoned his sword. "With pleasure."

Ignis resettled his glasses. "As you wish."

Prompto brought his gun out and patted his chocobo on the neck. "Let's go!"

Noct grinned and looked over to Ignis. "Plan, Specs?"

The advisor looked over at his companions then at their target. "I believe an ambush is our best bet. We can sneak around between the cliffs and the airships and take them by surprise." He dismounted from his chocobo, "That means leaving our feathery friends here."

Prompto pouted as he jumped down from his chocobo but followed Ignis easily enough once they started moving around the edge of the cliff. They made their way slowly and carefully, Ignis taking point while Gladio brought up the rear.

As they arrived behind the airships, unnoticed by the men patrolling the area, Gladio tensed up as he caught the tail end of a conversation from within one of the airships. He caught Ignis' gaze and motioned for them to stop a moment as he leaned forward and pressed his ear to the cold metal.

"... Understood. We will recall all troops in the area and move to the new location immediately."

Gladio jerked away as the airship started rumbling softly, he hissed, "Get back!" He tugged the closest person, Prompto, away, and kept an eye on Ignis and Noct as they scrambled away to a safe distance.

They watched with a mixture of worry and happiness as the soldiers were called back to the ships, leaving only behind a single squad of four to watch the area. The airships lifted off and headed back the way they had come earlier.

Ignis moved quietly until he was right beside Gladio and whispered, "What did you hear?"

Gladio leaned over, keeping his voice low, "They were called back but no idea where or why." He looked at the soldiers left behind; four were not a challenge for any of them.

Through a series of hand motions and slowly mouthed words, each of them picked a single soldier and attacked. A single strike from each of them was enough to deal with the soldiers, and Gladio kept an eye out as they regrouped together.

Noctis looked at Gladio questionably, "So what was that all about? Why did they suddenly leave?"

Gladio shrugged, "No clue. I just heard them get called to a new location, but nothing on why or where." He frowned and checked his phone; the text was shown as having been sent but he didn't have any signal here.

Noct matched Gladio's frown with his own and, after a few seconds of tense silence, sighed. "There's nothing we can do about it so let's just go grab Ramuh's second blessing. The faster we finish this, the faster we can get back to check on everyone."

Ignis smirked. "Quite right, Noctis. Shall we?" He pointed towards a small opening that seemed to light up with every strike from Ramuh's lightning.

Prompto smiled and grabbed a few pictures as they walked over and saw another dead tree with purple lightning waiting for Noctis. They walked with him until Noct motioned them to stop, and he reached out to touch the power-filled tree.

Noctis gritted his teeth as he again went through the electric feeling of Ramuh's power filling him up. Once more, Noctis staggered away from the tree panting for breath and Ignis was there to support his unsteady walk away from the dead tree. It took a little less time for Noct to gather his breath this second time, and Ignis used it to check their next destination..

The third lightning was striking over the Malacchi Hills, which meant going back towards Wiz's farm. The way back was easier and faster now that they could make a straight line to their destination, with only slight worry about Niflheim soldiers appearing without warning. Prompto shouted in joy when they came back in sight of the farm, Noctis close behind him; and relief filled their bodies at seeing Pelna through the kitchen window.

"Shall we stay the night?" Ignis suggested softly. Their scavenger hunt had taken most of the afternoon and night was only a few hours away. Noctis nodded as he pushed his chocobo forward towards the house, Prompto grinning wildly as he did the same.

Noct barged into the house with barely a knock, casting an apologetic look towards Wiz himself as the four men dragged rain and mud into the house. He focused on the Glaive, quickly asking, "How's Luna?"

Pelna motioned for the young men to calm down, twisting away to shout, "They're back! And soaked! Bring down some towels before they track mud all over!" His expression was teasing and amused as he turned back to finally answer the young King's question. "The lady is fine; she slept until about an hour ago and woke up still tired but hungry. We were about to eat."

Prompto slapped Noct on the back, beaming at the news. "Perfect timing for us then!" He went to take a step forward only to have Ignis yank him back with a disapproving look.

"We will first clean up as much as possible, then take a shower and only after that shall we eat. Wiz has been more than generous with us and I will not cause him more trouble." Ignis stated in an overly calm voice. Prompto stop moving the moment he heard Ignis' tone, and carefully replaced his foot back down in the exact spot he had just lifted it from, to Pelna and Wiz's amusement.

Thankfully for the starving Prompto, it didn't take long for Libertus and Crowe to show up with some towels. Ignis carefully inspected his boyfriends before herding them up the stairs and into their room for a quick shower before they wandered over to eat with a tired-but-happy Oracle.

Gladio spent the first part of the supper checking his phone every few minutes, until Nyx finally asked, "What's going on, Gladio?"

"I've been trying to contact Iris, Cor or even Jared but I can't a hold of them." Gladio answered with a harried expression.

Pelna reached out and grabbed Gladio's phone without a word, quickly dialing a number then hanging up after a few seconds and dialing a second one. Nyx's phone rang and Pelna hung up again. The tech specialist of the Glaives frowned and checked a few more things on Gladio's phone before he finally spoke, "It's not a problem from your end. I'm guessing the Nifs might be blocking all communications around Lestallum." He returned the phone to the Shield.

Gladio took it back gingerly, looking up to meet the worried looks from his three boyfriends with his own. "Thanks Pelna." His voice sounded small in the silence that surrounded the 9 people at the table.

Noct turned to Luna. "Hey Luna? Is there a time limit for completing the trial?" His question had everyone turning to stare at him in surprise.

Luna peered into her plate, a thoughtful expression giving the onlookers a glimpse of her thoughts. She rose without a word, walked over to the middle of the kitchen and brought out her Trident as gold light rose from her skin. A soft hum started filling the room and thunder roared over the farm.

Luna opened her eyes, golden light spilling from them as a voice, deep and elderly spoke to Noctis directly, " **Your fate is your own, Chosen King; as is the path you walk to reach it. My blessing will wait with our Oracle to call upon when you feel ready for it. You have only a part of it right now, but it shall be of help nonetheless."**

A single bolt of lightning struck right above them, the lights flickering once then plunging them all in darkness. Luna was still glowing, lightning running on her body starting from where she held her Trident and finishing within her eyes. Ramuh-in-Luna turned their gaze to the Glaives, all of whom were on their feet, and then smiled in a strangely grandfatherly way. " **Protectors of our Oracle, you have lost much and gained little. I grant to thee a blessing. Use it well.** "

The lightning jumped suddenly from the Oracle's body and struck each Glaive in the chest. They dropped to their knees, mouth open in a silent scream as the jolt of pure energy locked all the muscles in their body in place. As the lightning stopped, so did the glow from Luna's body.

Prompto was the closest to her, his reflexes sending him over to catch the Oracle as she collapsed. Noct was a mere second behind, dropping to his knees and calling on his own magic as he cupped Luna's face gently.

Ignis and Gladio took one look at their younger lovers checking on Lunafreya, and went to check the Glaives. Nyx was already struggling to his feet and Gladio guided him to the nearest chair. Ignis did the same with Crowe and they returned to bring Libertus and Pelna to the table.

"How is she?" Nyx panted; only the knowledge that Noctis and Prompto were taking care of her keeping him where he was.

Prompto looked at Noct, deep in his magic, before the blond answered Nyx, "She's unconscious but otherwise looks fine."

Relief bloomed in Nyx and he dropped his head on the table, muttering, "Thank the Astrals." He tilted his head and checked on Libs, Crowe and Pelna. "You three okay?"

Crowe groaned, her voice rough and strained, "Other than feeling like my body was being torn apart and put back together? Peachy." Libs nodded beside her and Pelna gave a pained snort of laughter at her description.

Noctis' voice rang out from where he was, bringing everyone's attention to him. He was supporting Luna as he stood, "Thanks Luna." He looked up at the rest of his men and declared, "We head to Lestallum in the morning. Niflheim is planning something and I doubt it is good news for anyone."


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Happy birthday to BarefootBassist!

In the morning, Luna woke up blurry eyed and feeling exhausted but able to move slowly nonetheless. Ignis and Libertus worked together to make her something she could eat easily but she still ended up sharing a chocobo with Nyx once they were ready to leave.

With Gladio and Crowe leading the way around any beasts in their path, they were able to arrive at the mouth of the underground passage by mid-afternoon. Noctis swore as he stopped his chocobo beside his Shield, the others following his lead quickly.

"The hell happened!" Gladio swore, his knuckles white around the reins of his chocobo.

A fleet of airships was surroundings the city, smoke lazily rose from somewhere within the towering building of Lestallum. Niflheim soldiers could be seen patrolling the entrance of the underground passage and the blockade raised on the road made any attempts to cross into the city nearly impossible.

Ignis hurriedly told everyone, "Let's back away and regroup!" His warning came just in time as some of the soldiers seemed to have noticed them in the distance.

They hurried away, the Glaives except Nyx spreading around their king and keeping an eye out for any soldiers following them. They found a haven about half an hour out of Lestallum and made camp quietly, no one willing to bring up what seemed like an obvious thing.

"Do you think they're okay?" Prompto asked quietly, eyes cast down at his camera and refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

Gladio stood up sharply, chair tipping backwards, and walked away to the edge of the haven. Prompto could see him forcing himself to take deep breath and calm down before he finally spoke, "They are fine. They have to be."

Crowe nodded and added, "The Marshall was there right? At the very least he would have bought time for people to evacuate." She grinned and crossed her arms, "I say you let me, Libs, Pelna and Nyx go in tonight and see what we can find. Shouldn't be too hard to warp across the pass and get in unnoticed."

The Glaives nodded their agreement as they turned to look at Noctis. He was staring into the blue fire as he listened to Crowe's proposition. After a long minute of contemplation, Noctis sighed and looked up at his Kingsglaives. "You go in and get out before dawn. Don't get noticed. Ignis," he looked over to the man setting up the cooking station, "what do you suggest they focus on?"

Ignis hummed thoughtfully as he started to take out what little remained of their provisions, "I believe our priority should be finding out what happened to the refugees from Insomnia, in particular the men and women who worked high level positions within the government."

Nyx cut in, "People like your uncle."

Ignis nodded slowly, "Yes, we know that Niflheim was aware of their presence within Lestallum. It may very well be that this subjugation of Lucis' power source is a part of their plans to control Lucis."

Nods of agreement were given as they listened to Ignis' reasoning. Gladio walked back to his chair, righting it before he dropped onto it heavily. He looked over to Crowe and asked, "If you can… keep an eye out for Iris?"

Crowe nodded firmly, "We will." She turned to Nyx, who was rather quiet, contemplating the tent where Luna had fallen asleep within seconds of lying down. "Nyx? You want to stay here with Luna?"

Nyx finally looked away from the tent, shaking his head and glaring at Crowe, "Not a chance. She'll be safe here and we're needed elsewhere." He looked back at the tent and sighed, "I can't do anything to help her right now, but we can grab some supplies for everyone at the same time."

Ignis glanced over at Noctis and nodded, "Yes that would be helpful." The camp was plunged back into silence, more comfortable than the previous one, broken only by the sound of cooking. The sun was starting to set over the ridge before the Glaives started getting ready to leave, checking and double checking their weapons, potions and other gears.

Luna woke up and joined the others in seeing the four Glaives off as the last ray of light faded from the sky. Noct stood at the edge of the haven with Luna, watching as the four quickly disappeared into the dawning night. They stood side by side, Luna leaning on Noct heavily, for a long while after the Kingsglaives had disappeared from sight.

"They'll be fine." Gladio's gravely voice brought them both out of the worried silence that followed the Glaives' departure. He wrapped his arms around the smaller duo and stated, "They've survived worse than a simple reconnaissance mission." He grinned down at them, "Come on and let's sit down. You both need to eat before you pass out. "

Gladio herded them towards the fire and dropped down on the other side of Noct, watching as Ignis gave them their food with a small encouraging smile. Luna returned the smile and ate slowly, but Noctis only picked at his plate without really eating until Gladio poked him in the ribs. "Eat. You need the energy, Princess." Noctis slowly lifted his fork to his mouth while glaring at his Shield. That one bite soon turned into two then four as Noctis finally realized how hungry he was and wolfed down what was on his plate.

Ignis chuckled and scraped the bottom of his pot to provide with his king and boyfriend some more food though not before offering some to Lunafreya as well. He returned to the grill and sighed as he placed the empty pot in water before helping Prompto cleanup, "I do hope they manage to bring some food back at the very least. Noctis and Lunafreya have both lost weight, too much of it for my taste."

Prompto glanced out of the corner of his eyes at the worried frown marring Ignis' features and replied softly, "You're doing the best you can Iggy. Once Nyx and the others get back safely, we can decided what to do next. At worst, we can pick up some extra hunts that won't require us to fight. " Ignis didn't seem any less worried so Prompto shifted over until his leg and hip were pressed against Ignis'. "Noct will be fine and so will Luna."

Ignis' shoulder slumped slightly at Prompto's confident words, and he gave his boyfriend a thankful smile before grabbing a cloth and helping Prompto out with the dishes. "I envy your optimism my dear; it always brightens our days." Ignis smiled at the soft blush his words caused.

The rest of the evening was spent in quiet games and chatter before they all retired to rest, Luna in her tent while the quartet of lovers shared their usual tent. Noctis listened to the quiet breathing of his sleeping companions, Ignis' arm a warm pressure around him; but he couldn't fall asleep. He shifted restlessly, turning and twisting until finally giving up and getting carefully to his feet.

The night air was a bit chilly, but still comfortable enough for Noct to step out of the tent without riffling around for a sweater. He dragged his tired body over to the closest chair and dropped down on it heavily, leaning back completely as he looked at the star-filled sky.

Noctis mouthed the name of the stars he remembered from his night time adventures; first with Ignis, and then Prompto and Gladio joining them. He smiled at the memories it brought up, and the few times his father had been able to join him on the roofs or balconies of the Citadel to gaze at the stars together.

"Do you enjoy the stars, young man?" A voice broke through his reminiscing and Noctis twisted in shock at the man who stepped into the haven to his right. Ardyn gave Noctis a sad smile as he walked over, "I apologize for the fright your Highness, but I heard you were in the area and thought it best to come see you in person."

Noctis was on his feet in moments, shouting, "Ignis! Gladio! Prompto!" Noct was expecting Gladio to be out of the tent as soon as his voice faded; instead he watched in shock as the tent remained unmoving. He swore, twirling and calling up his engine blade with the expectation of being attacked.

Instead he found the Chancellor, hands open and at shoulder height, doing his best to seem unthreatening. Noct blinked, keeping his guard up and asked harshly, "What do you want?"

The man smiled, for a brief moment Noct saw his dad standing in front of him with that same smile, and answered, "I mean you no harm and I am not Izunia, so please calm down. I am here because I wished to talk to you and was unable to do so before."

Noct frowned then hissed, "You're the man Prompto saw that night after the attack!" Ardyn Lucis Caelum bowed in acknowledgement. "You want to talk? Then talk."

Ardyn straightened and sighed, "I understand, but please be assured I mean you and your companions no harm." He winced and added, "Though the same cannot be said for Izunia unfortunately." Ardyn paused, looking at Noctis with sorrowful eyes, "I believe your friend has told you about who I am?"

Noct nodded, "Prompto also said you had a bad case of the Scourge."

Ardyn smirked, "I suppose that is an apt way of putting it. But that is not the reason for my visit. I am aware that you have seen the Niflheim troops stationed in Lestallum, and have sent your soldiers to seek information. I offer you some that they will not be able to find within the walls of the city by the meteor."

Noct tensed up when his supposed relative referred to Nyx and the others as soldiers but he kept quiet for the moment.

Ardyn continued, "Niflheim does not have the Ring of the Lucii; they believe that the prince of Tenebrae knows where it is located, and that is the reason for his continued survival - though in rather unfortunate circumstances."

Noct growled, "Unfortunate? Ravus is being tortured! How can you…" He bit off the angry words he wanted to shout and settled for glaring at Ardyn for his callous words.

Ardyn winced - that had been poor wording on his part. "My apologies; that was poorly worded by me. The prince has been in a coma for close to a week now, and thus has been left alone and his injuries treated properly. I personally saw to it."

Noct felt some of his worries disappear; it would appear that Carbuncle had managed to keep Ravus safe while his mind was protected by Noctis' own soul.

"That has, however, caused the Emperor to demand other possible sources of information concerning the location of the Ring." Ardyn sighed mournfully and waved a hand towards the general direction of Lestallum. "Which resulted in the full takeover of Lestallum's city as they searched for anyone who might know where the Prince might have hidden the Ring within the Crown City."

Noctis was shocked, staring in horror at Ardyn at the information. "Wh...What happened to the refugees that were there? Ve.. Lord Scientia and the others who were working to resettle everyone?"

Ardyn wore a sad expression as he answered Noctis' question, "I am afraid that most of those who were working in such functions were detained for questioning. The soldiers were told to apprehend anyone from Insomnia who worked for the Crown or a Noble house."

Noctis stumbled back a step, free hand going to his forehead as he understood the implications of such an order. Ardyn didn't move from where he was and stayed silent, watching as the Chosen King struggled with his emotions and tried to figure out what to do.

Finally Noctis spoke, "You… Is there anything you can do to help them? Even if you aren't the Chancellor, you're still somehow connected to him right? Please! If there's anything you can do!"

Ardyn wore a distant smile, head facing Lestallum's general direction as he replied, "I already have done everything I can on that matter. Those who did not resist and cooperated with the soldiers will not have been harmed." He paused as a flash of pain twisted his features and made him take a shuddering breath, "I must leave now. I apologies that I cannot help you more but Izunia doesn't allow me much of a leash even while he is busy with other matters. I wish you good luck and fair travels." He quickly turned around and disappeared into the night beyond the haven before Noct could recover from his shock.

Noct stared at the area where Ardyn had vanished into the night, still reeling from what he had just been told. Noct allowed his sword to disappear and dropped back down on his chair as exhaustion crashed heavily over him.

It was Nyx that first noticed the king sitting by the fire hours later, lost in thought and his exhaustion just as the dawn broke the horizon. "Noctis?" He and his friends moved towards the younger man with worry in their eyes. "Why are you out here?"

Noctis blinked suddenly, only now aware of the passage of time, and twisted to face the returned glaives with a tired smile. "Nyx? Oh. Welcome back; is everyone okay?"

Crowe crouched down and replied, "That should be our line Princeling. What are you doing up before Specs?"

Noctis groaned, passing a hand over his face before muttering, "Couldn't sleep because of that idiot Ardyn…"

Crowe, Nyx, Pelna and Libertus exchanged concerned glances at the words. Libertus nodded to Nyx, and headed over to the tents to wake up everyone while Pelna started putting away the bags of provisions they had managed to grab during their scouting trip. Nyx turned back to Noct. "Sounds like you had quite the eventful night. Let's get everyone up and we can all talk together about what we learned and what happened to you. That okay?"

Noct nodded mutely, eyes cast down at the fire. Nyx got up, leaving Crowe to keep an eye on the kid while he cleaned up a bit. It didn't take long for everyone to find themselves sitting around the fire, Ignis and Gladio flanking Noctis while exchanging increasingly worried looks.

Ignis spoke first, addressing the newly returned glaives, "Well then, what is the situation in Lestallum?"

Nyx leaned back in his chair as he reported, "It's not good. Niflheim has taken full possession of the city including the power plant. There are soldiers everywhere and they have captured a lot of Insomnian refugees, especially those who were working with your uncle, Ignis."

Ignis tensed up at the news. Nyx waited a bit before sighing and continuing. "From what we were able to gather, the soldiers have orders to capture anyone who had worked in the Castle or who served any of the nobility in Insomnia. We couldn't figure out why they were being targeted, but we do know that they're being questioned about something."

Crowe spoke up, "They're looking for something from the looks of it. Grabbing people who might know about whatever that is and letting the ones who obviously have no clue go without any trouble." She was frowning angrily.

Nyx nodded then turned to look at Gladio with worry. He hesitated long enough for Gladio to snap, "What is it?"

Nyx sighed, "I'm sorry Gladio. We stopped by the Leville to check up on everyone and…"

Gladio jumped to his feet, eyes worried and demanded, "What happened? Is Iris alright?"

Nyx closed his eyes as he answered, "I don't know… She… The soldiers went straight for the Leville once they had control of the power plant. They knew that she was staying there and wanted to question her." He opened his eyes and met Gladio's gaze, "There was a fight. Your butler, Jared, refused to tell them where she was even when they got violent with him. Iris… She and the Marshal arrived right as they were about to kill him and interfered. Talcot couldn't give us a lot of details but from what he said, the Marshall saved them; but Iris ended up being taken hostage and the Marshall was forced to surrender."

"They took her and the Marshall to their base in Cleigne. The one where Ravus is being kept." Nyx finished solemnly.

A/N: This chapter was heavily inspired by this fanart on twitter /idegldio22/status/874517300732280832 Go check it out :) also I will be trying my hand at nanowrite this year. I'll try not to let it disrupt my schedule for Cure Au.


	25. Chapter 25

There was a single tense moment of silence as the news sank in before Gladio snapped, "Then what the hell are we waiting for? We have to go save them!"

Ignis retorted sharply, "We cannot!" His eyes roamed from the listless Noct to the still pale Lunafreya and back again, worry lining his face and making him tense.

Gladio was about to snap something back when Noctis spoke softly, "We're going to save them." His voice might have been soft but it was determined and when Noctis lifted his head to look at the people surroundings him his eyes were hard and clearly showed his anger.

Noct pushed himself up looked at the four Glaives, noting their exhausted posture and his own tiredness. He turned to Ignis, "We'll need a good strategy if we're going to pull this off and we need information. How far is the base from here?"

Ignis took out a map, laid it on the table and pointed out their current location and the area he assumed the base stood. "If the base Nyx is referring to is the one here than it would take us about two and a half hours by chocobo."

Noct nodded, "Alright. I haven't slept because of what Ardyn told me and those four haven't either. Let's rest for a few hours and we'll head out mid afternoon-ish so we get to the base by nightfall." Noct raised his head then blinked in surprise. Everyone was staring at him.

Luna asked with some confusion, "Noctis, who is Ardyn?" Prompto nodded by her side.

Noct blinked, just as confused, "Didn't we tell you about the man Prompto met the day after the attack? The guy looks exactly like that creepy Chancellor, and claims to be a Lucis Caelum? He can certainly use the Royal Arms…" he trailed off hesitantly as Gladio stalked up to him.

His Shield looked furious and growled, face an inch away from Noctis', "Are you telling us that an intruder got into camp and you didn't wake us up!"

Noctis stepped back, "I tried! But no one woke up and he just wanted to talk."

His three boyfriends and Luna tensed up at his words. Ignis took a slow deep breath before he spoke, voice fearfully calm and composed, "Perhaps a full explanation of the night's events might be advisable before the five of you retire to rest?"

Noctis nodded slowly and told them about the conversation he had with his supposed relative. Ignis set about making some coffee as he listened carefully and asked a few questions. Gladio had tensed up considerably when Noct had recounted how he screamed for them, and Prompto moved closer to the man to run a soothing hand over his arm in comfort.

Nyx rubbed a hand over his face as he took in the news that there was a second Niflheim Chancellor who could use the Lucis Caelum's Royal Arms, was badly infected by the Scourge and was helping them out for some reason. He glanced at the other three Glaives and was glad to see the same tired confusion on all of them. He turned back and stated in a deadpan voice, "Okay, I'm officially too tired to deal with this right now. I say the five of us hit the hay and leave the others to figure what this all means."

Noct grinned and stifled a yawn, "Sounds like a plan, Nyx. Ignis can wake us up later." He didn't wait for an answer as he headed straight for his tent. Nyx grinned and tugged Luna into a hug, and planted a kiss on her temple before he, Pelna, and Libs headed to their tent with Crowe heading towards her own.

It left Ignis, Gladio, Prompto and Lunafreya awake to figure out what to do with both Ardyn's interference and their goal of rescuing Cor, Iris and Ravus from Niflheim's grasp. Ignis finished his first cup of coffee and poured himself a second one before asking, "Can one of you help me make breakfast and check what they managed to bring back?"

Luna nodded and headed towards the cooler with Ignis, leaving Gladio and Prompto to find something to do while they waited for breakfast to be done. Gladio sighed and mumbled, "Going for a run" before he left the haven.

Prompto watched the tense man jog away and sighed sadly. He was worried about everyone. Ravus had been in the hands of Niflheim for close to two weeks now, and who knew what he had been subjected to? Prompto bit his lip as he took out his phone to play some King's Knight to pass the time.

As he mindlessly tapped the screen, Prompto wondered what he could do to help. He remembered the awful nightmares Ravus had suffered for a couple of years after arriving in Insomnia. Getting the plushies had helping the older boy quite a bit but Prompto doubted the stuffed toys were still intact.

Prompto jumped up as a wonderful idea struck him and he hurried over to their tent. He carefully checked to make sure Noct was asleep before starting to rustle through Ignis' bag in search of what he would need. Sewing kit, some ripped clothes that Ignis had deemed unsalvageable, some shiny bits - Prompto made a mental note to find some lavender flowers on their way to the base.

With his arms full, Prompto wiggled out of the tent and made his way to the edge of the haven. He carefully placed his prizes on the rocks, placing the different fabrics side by side as he mentally prepared his to-do list.

First thing to do was measure and trace the different shapes he would need, then Prompto double checked his calculations and started cutting the pieces carefully. Each separate piece was then pinned together as he wanted and he grinned in gleeful pride at the way it looked.

A cold nose touching his cheek startled Prompto out of his concentration and he turned to see Umbra and Pryna looking at him with wide eyes. Pryna barked once before lowering her muzzle to the ground. Prompto followed the movement and grinned, the dogs had brought him a gift and it was the last missing piece to make it perfect.

Prompto rewarded them both with scratches and a few kisses before plunging back into his creation. He winced every time the needle pricked him but pushed onwards, determined to make them while he had the time. (He also didn't want to be stuck doing nothing and feeling useless.)

ˮPrompto, breakfast is ready.ˮ Ignis' voice called out and Propto waved an acknowledgement, intent on finishing the last few stitches for a seam. A warm hand dropped on his shoulder and Ignis peeked at the pieces of fabrics scattered around the area. "I see you've been busy, love. Come eat and I'll help you afterwards if you'd like.ˮ

Prompto leaned back into Ignis' warmth and nodded as he carefully put down what he was working on and ensured it wouldn't get blown away by the wind. He got up carefully, wincing as his legs protested their prolonged position; and blinked in surprised as he noticed Gladio was back and the sun was a lot warmer than he remembered.

Ignis chuckled and carefully guided Prompto over to a seat, Umbra and Pryna already devouring the bacon and fat Ignis had given them by the fire. Gladio looked a lot more relaxed and focused, reaching out to ruffle Prompto's hair as he passed by. Luna was quick to hand him a plate with pancakes, bacon and eggs as soon as he sat down.

The four of them ate in companionable silence, broken occasionally by one of the dogs barking or begging for scraps. Gladio collected the plates and cups to wash as Prompto headed back to his project with Ignis in tow. The inexperienced sempster quickly explained what he was trying to do before going back to his work.

When Noctis woke up, the sun was just past its zenith and he was starving. He stretched with a groan before stumbling out of the tent, still slowly waking up. He took a few steps towards his usual chair only to stop, blink and stare at the two things already seated there.

Noct whistled as he picked them up and examined them: the faint smell of lavender, chamomile and something familiar that he couldn't name. He glanced over at the grinning and excited Prompto. "Did you make these?ˮ Prompto nodded. "They're definitely smaller than the ones Ravus had back home, but I'm sure having Mini Carbuncle Plushie and Mini Iron Giant Plushie when we save him will help a lot.ˮ

Prompto grinned happily and was about to reply when a rough voice came from the Glaives tent, ˮIs there enough food for everyone? I'm starving!ˮ Nyx walked out of the shared tent wearing only his boxers; Libertus growled and tried to drag him back in with no success.

The four men and Lunafreya grinned at the sight, Luna going to meet Nyx and push him back into the tent to get dressed with an amused grin. "Get dressed and then you can eat, you silly man!ˮ She laughed as he whined about wearing clothes right after waking up; but between her, Libs and an exasperated Pelna, they managed to get Nyx dressed before allowing him back out.

Crowe shook her head as she went to join Ignis by the table. "At least he wasn't naked this time.ˮ She grabbed the pot of coffee and poured herself a cup, "So other than the Kid over there, what have you been doing while we slept?ˮ

Ignis pointed her at a seat, ˮI assume you are talking about our plan for taking over Cleigne's base, correct?ˮ The magic specialist nodded as she dropped to her chair and waited, the others taking their own seats slowly.

Ignis didn't say anything until he had served everyone and sat down himself, ˮI was able to review what I knew about the base. It was made a good 20 years ago when Niflheim started their advance into Lucis. It was retaken after Sylva caused her brand of chaos within Niflheim ranks, then abandoned when Niflheim reinstated their advances into Lucian territory.ˮ

He took a bite of his food before continuing, ˮFortunately, King Regis had enough foresight to consider Niflheim using the base once more after their renewed effort and, from what I remember, had most of the bases modified to include secret entrances as well as several master keys implemented into their system. We should be able to use these to enter unnoticed under the cover of night and disarm any alarms set up.ˮ

Pelna grinned as he devoured his lunch/breakfast. "I remember reading those files. I think I have a copy of all the master keys on my phone.ˮ He dropped his plate on his knees and took out his phone to check. He nodded quickly, ˮYup, I got them right here. If I can get to the central monitoring room, I can take over their system using these and tell you exactly where to go.ˮ

Ignis nodded, pleased by the information. By his side Gladio spoke up, "There's no way the monitoring or control room is going to be close to where they keep prisoners. We'll need to split up to cover more ground quickly. Even if the alarms get disabled, the place is going to be crawling with Niffs and the longer we stay in there, the more dangerous it's going to be."

Gladio's comment plunged the group into silence for a few moments before Luna sighed and declared forcefully, "Regardless of how we split up, I'm going after Ravus." She ignored the outcries from Nyx and Noctis, got up to put her plate away, and started taking down her tent.

Prompto chuckled, "Luna's right, you know. I want to save everyone but I'll go after Cor first since Luna has Ray-Ray. I'm sure Gladio wants to go after Iris first too." He glanced at the awkward nod Gladio gave, and got up to follow Luna's example. "We can figure out how to split the teams while we head over there."

Prompto's cheery words ended the conversation as each person slowly finished eating and started dismantling the camp and storing it within Noct's magic. They still had a while before night time, but getting to the base early would allow them to find a safe spot to camp out for the night and to find any secret entrances left by the Glaives when they retreated from the area.

Noctis was the last to mount his chocobo, having helped Ignis check the grounds for anything that might have been left behind. Casting one last glance behind, he nodded to Libertus who had volunteered to act as a scout for their small group as a precaution. The glaive returned the nod and dragged his hand in front of him, magic trailing behind as the air wavered and Libertus faded out of sight.

Dust rose from the ground with every step of the now invisible chocobo and his rider, the trail disappearing toward their destination in a flurry. The rest of them waited a few additional minutes before following after Libertus; Noctis and Luna in the center with the others spread around them in a protective circle.

"Ignis, what do you know about the layout of the base?" asked Luna after about an hour of riding quietly together. They had seen a few airships, but no soldiers or patrols.

Ignis moved his chocobo closer to her before answering her question. "Most of Niflheim's bases have a similar layout. Each base has anywhere from 3-7 buildings surrounded by a thick outer wall with only one way in or out. There is always a building for communications, one serving as a barrack for their human soldiers, and one that serves as mess hall and offices for the higher ranking officers."

Luna nodded, "Then the rest of the buildings would depend on the purpose of the base itself?"

Ignis nodded, seeing from the corner of his eye that the rest of their group were listening in. "Indeed. I would imagine that this would have been one of their bigger bases, or that they might have expanded it if they are using it for prisoners and intelligence gathering."

Gladio grumbled, "So we have no idea of how the place looks or where anything is." He snorted. "This is going to be a pain."

Crowe grinned. "You say it like it's the first time you or your boyfriends have ever gone into a Nif base without knowing what was inside."

Prompto sighed, "We had Uncle with us though…" The conversation came to a stop at the painful reminder and Noctis reached out to squeeze Prompto's hand softly.

They rode in silence for a while longer until Libertus came into view, looking worried as he stared at something the rest of them couldn't see yet. Noct pressed his chocobo a bit faster and pulled it to stop beside Libertus. He followed the Glaive's stare and bit back a swear.

Noct could see the base, well fortified at the top of a small hill, peeking over the thin spread of trees. He could also see the dozens of airships scattered across the road and surrounding areas, the many MTs and human soldiers patrolling the area in a wide circle. Makeshift barracks were set up for almost a quarter of a mile around the base with camps fires burning and roadblocks preventing anyone from nearing the base unnoticed.

The base itself was nothing like what anyone had expected; there was a second wall surrounding the first one, just as thick and with just as many soldiers guarding it. A windowless tower of cement and metal rose from the middle of the base, with 3 smaller identical tours surrounding it and connected by some kind of bridge.

Nyx swore as he took in the expanded size of the Niflheim base. "Ifrit's balls! How the hell did they manage to get this built in less than two weeks?" No one answers him as they contemplated how much harder their rescue mission had just become.


	26. Chapter 26

Nyx looked over to Noct and asked, "What now?" The base was now much bigger than expected and was no longer looking like any other base he had ever been to as a Glaive. Even for him, getting in and out of this place would be incredibly difficult.

Noctis was tense on his chocobo, looking over the numerous Niflheim troops patrolling and camping between them and the people they wanted to save. "This doesn't change anything. We're going to sneak in there and save any prisoners they have." He twisted on his saddle to look at everyone following him, his eyes glowing red and filled with determination.

Nyx looked at Noctis in shock, opening his mouth to say how crazy that idea was, but a sharp glare from Ignis had him slamming it shut. The adviser moved closer to Noctis and asked, "Then you have a plan?"

Noctis nodded slowly, "Ignis, where exactly is the entrance we can use to get in?"

Ignis frowned, looking around carefully before pointing toward a small brick wall building about halfway between the outer edge of the Niflheim camp and the outer wall of the base. "There. That building is set up as a vent for the machinery of the base but actually acts as the secret entrance."

Noct closed his eyes for a brief moment, "Then it'll work. I'm going to summon Titan." Ignis barely suppressed his gasp of shock, hearing similar muffled sounds from the others of their group. Noct brought a hand up and spoke, "He'll cause a distraction and we can use that to run to the entrance to sneak in. With this many soldiers around, sneaking around is going to be extremely hard."

Nyx hissed, "You can't be serious, Princeling!" The Glaive glanced to the rest of their group, relaxing slightly when he saw similar looks of shock and worry on their faces. He turned back to Noctis, "There are too many soldiers between us and that entrance. AND we have even less of a clue about the layout of the base than before!"

Noctis whirled to face Nyx, his eyes blazing red with anger and power. He opened his mouth to shout, when a booming sound interrupted his attempt. A huge airship, bigger than any other they had seen before, slowly rose from one of the towers.

It hovered above the base for several seconds before it started moving extremely slowly to the east. The loud roar of the airship almost drowned out the sudden clash of several hundred of soldiers suddenly hurrying around the base.

Gladio swore, directing his chocobo forward as he lunged and grabbed Noct's reins. "We need to get out of here now!" He didn't wait for an answer as turned his chocobo around and ran.

Noct didn't have a choice; he grabbed his bird's neck to keep from falling as Gladio led them all away from the Niflheim-infested region. He lost track of how long they were running before his Shield finally stopped, his mind occupied with the rumbling scream of Titan wanting to cause trouble and destroy everything.

Ignis' hand threading through his hair called Noct away from his struggle against Titan's anger, and he blinked several times before being able to recognize his boyfriends looking at him with worry. Noctis slowly dropped down from his chocobo, stumbling slightly before he was able to get his balance.

"Are you alright, Noctis?" asked Ignis softly. He checked his boyfriend's eyes, relief filling him as he noticed the absence of red from his pupils.

Noct nodded, "Ya. Sorry." He fell silent for a moment before asking, "What now?" The Prince looked at everyone gathered around him, he had been so surprised and angry when he had seen the amount of Niflheim soldiers strolling around like they owned the area. Now that his anger had faded, Noctis felt lost.

They had come all this way to save their friends, their family, and now… Now, now they didn't even know if Cor, Iris or Ravus were still at the base. Noctis could see that the others were worrying about that also.

Luna clasped her hands together, "Now we should find a place to rest and discuss what to do, now that things have changed." She looked around, a soft glow surrounding her body for a few moments before she nodded to herself and pointed towards a small outcropping of stone. "There is a haven right there. Let us set up camp before we do anything else."

Nyx falls to the back of the group as they head over, motioning for Libertus and Pelna to join him. He waits until the others are out of earshot before whispering, "I need you two to head back and keep an eye on the Nifs. I'd rather not get caught unprepared if they noticed us watching."

Pelna nodded and adding, "I can try to find their radio frequency and try to find what I can about any prisoners." Nyx nodded his agreement, thanking them as the two glaives turned around and headed back the way they came.

When Nyx caught up to the others, Ignis quickly noticed the two missing glaives and sent a questioning glance to the older man. Nyx answered the wordless question, "Libs and Pelna are heading back to keep an eye on the base. We can't afford to be caught off guard. They'll warn us if anything happens."

It didn't take long for the camp to be set up; Ignis starting to make some tea as everyone settled down around the fire. Crowe and Nyx flanked Luna while Gladio, Prompto and Ignis sat beside Noctis; a heavy silence laid on the campsite until it was broken by Prompto.

"Do you think Cor, Ravus and Iris are still in there?" he asked softly, his tone filled with worry. Prompto looked around the fire, his eyes begging for someone to give him an answer, no matter what that answer was.

Ignis looked at his hands. "We cannot know such a thing, not unless we find out what just happened or a way to listen to their communications." He raised his eyes to look at Prompto softly.

Luna looked over to where Noctis was leaning back in his chair, looking lost and worried before sighing and declaring, "Then we know what we must now do." She smirked as the others turned to look at her in surprise, "We need to find information, a way to get information or someone who knows what is going on."

She grinned as she grabbed her phone and pressed one of her quick-composed numbers, placing the phone on speaker as it rang. Luna muffled a laugh as everyone looked surprised at the voice who answered, "Luna?", in a breathless manner.

"Hello Lance, do you have time to talk a bit?" She asked sweetly. She watched as Prompto scrambled out of his chair and hurried to drop down beside her, staring intently at the phone resting on her lap.

"Dad?" Prompto asked hesitantly.

Lance exclaimed, "Prompto! Are you alright? What about Noctis, Ignis and Gladio? Wh…"

Luna interrupted, "We are all fine, Lance; but we require your help and don't know how long we have to talk."

Lance stayed quiet for a moment, Luna and Prompto hearing him speak to others and the sound of objects being moved around before he finally spoke again, "I see. I'm glad everyone is alright. What can I do to help?"

Luna looked to Noctis then Nyx before deciding on her first question, the more pressing one in her opinion: "Do you have anyone in the Niflheim military who can help us find information? We need someone who would have access to most of their communication."

Lance answered after a few moments, "I might but that depends on what kind of information you need. Can you tell me more?" His voice was soft but determined; it was a familiar tone for them to hear and Prompto felt himself relax, grinning when he noticed Luna, Noctis, Ignis and Gladio had done the same. Nyx and Crowe weren't as tense either.

Luna clarified her request easily. "We're searching for information about prisoners that Niflheim might have in their grasp. Where they would be held, and what kind of security would be involved in their incarceration."

"Prisoners? What happened? I thought you said everyone was alright?" Lance demanded in a worried and frantic tone.

Luna winced, shifting the phone towards Prompto slightly. He took a deep breath and told his dad the bad news, "It's… Cor and Iris were captured by Nifs in Lestallum. We thought we knew where they and Ray-Ray were being held but we aren't so sure."

"In that case, I know just the person. Can you get to the Vesperpool safely?" Lance solemnly said, the sound of papers being moved reaching their ears.

Luna looked up to Ignis, who nodded, before replying, "Yes. It might take a while since we don't have cars for the moment but we can manage."

Lance sounded surprised and concern as he asked, "What? What happened to the Regalia?"

Nyx sighed, reaching out to grab the phone and bringing it closer to his mouth as he gave a brief report to Lance, "It's a long story. Short version is the Empire has the Regalia right now and we don't have a replacement that can fit all of us in it. How fast can we get a meeting with your informant and how much can we trust them?"

Lance sighed, "I see. It'll take me at least a day to contact them and to get a reply. If this phone is safe then I will call you as soon as I have a time and place. My informant is trustworthy as long as they are paid. They have yet to fail me or Ravus."

Luna exclaimed, "Ravus knows them?" She shared confused and surprised looks with the others.

Lance chuckled, "Yes, we meet them a few years ago on one of my trips. It's a long story…" He paused for a moment before speaking again. "Things in Insomnia have settled down so why don't I head over to meet you in person? We can talk more openly and I will be able to help you meet with my informant at the same time."

Luna beamed, giving Prompto a sideway hug even as Nyx grinned and replied, "That would be perfect. Lestallum is dangerous but we can probably meet you in Hammerhead in a day or so. Is that enough?"

Lance replied, "It is. We can meet up at Cid's garage tomorrow evening. I need get a message out to my informant first and make sure me leaving won't cause too much trouble for the resistance."

Nyx quickly looked around the fire, getting various nods from the others before telling Lance that they would see him in Hammerhead. The atmosphere around the haven was slightly less tense now, as Nyx hung up and returned Luna's phone to her with a pleased smile.

Prompto jumped to his feet, smiling widely. "I'm glad Dad is okay." He turned and asked Luna, "How did you know calling him would work?" He wasn't the only one who was curious about that as Ignis, Gladio and Nyx nodded.

Luna shrugged, "I didn't but I figured it was worth a try instead of moping around. Now we know what we're doing next."

Prompto nodded hesitantly, but it was Gladio who said what they were all thinking. "They'd better be alright by the time we get to them." The words brought back the tense silence from before but only for a short while as it was quickly broken by the sound of running chocobos.

They all scrambled to their feet, weapons appearing in their hands as they prepared themselves for whatever trouble was heading their way. "Nyx!" Pelna's voice rang out just as he came into view.

The glaive pulled his chocobo to a stop, a smirk plastered on his face. He didn't wait for anyone to speak before he told them, "They left!"

Crowe snapped, "Who left, you moron? And where's Libs?" She glared at Pelna, hands on her hips.

Pelna grinned and quickly explained, "Libs is keeping an eye on the base but most of the army that was camped out is gone." He turned to Gladio and added, "We saw Iris. She's okay, a bit banged up but otherwise seemed fine. They moved her from the central tower to somewhere else in the right one but she was alive and kicking!"

Gladio brought a hand to cover his face in relief, the whisper of "Thank the Six" going mostly ignored except for his boyfriends giving him a relieved and happy smile.

Nyx felt his lips twitch into a feral grin as he turned to Noctis, his King, and asked, "Your orders?"

Noctis didn't hesitate as he strode over to his bird, mounting it swiftly and declaring, "We go save her. And anyone else who's still in there.*

It didn't take long for them to be back on their way back to the base. Ignis slid beside Nyx, looking around to ensure no one else was close enough to hear him whisper, "What do you think of this sudden clearing of the soldiers?"

Nyx tsked as he also checked who was close by and meeting Crowe's gaze with his own small nod. "It might be a trap but Pelna and Libs would have checked for that before coming to get us. That only leaves the possibility that they found what they were looking for, and that scares me more."

Ignis nodded his agreement, "We should remain on our guard until we have finished clearing the base." With Nyx in agreement, they swiftly formed a plan on how to separate and conquer the Niflheim base.

They came to stop more or less where they had left. The base was still as big as before, but the wide number of soldiers that had been sprawled across the grounds were nowhere to be found. Libertus waved them over, waiting until they got closer before pointing at the rightmost tower and whispering, "They've been bringing people out of the other towers and moving them to that one. I haven't seen anyone other than Nif soldiers come out."

Noctis nodded, glancing over to Ignis as he asked, "Alright, what's the plan, Iggy?"

Ignis knelt beside Libertus, taking his time looking over the area before letting his friends know what they would be doing. There seemed to be less than 1/10th of the soldiers they had originally seen, left within the base from what Libertus had been able to see so far.

Gladio, Noctis, Luna, Prompto and himself would enter through the secret entrance and head straight towards the right most tower. Meanwhile, Nyx, Crowe, Pelna and Libertus would warp into the base on the opposite side and would concentrate on finding and gathering information about Niflheim movements and plans.

Noctis stood beside the treeline, looking out at the patrolling soldiers on both walls. He could hear his friends and boyfriends talking softly behind him. The sun was slowly disappearing behind the horizon. Noct took a deep breath, gathering the power of Titan before announcing, "Let's go."

The conversations ended and Noct felt the presence of his boyfriends flanking him. The warmth of their confidence and care lent him the last bit of determination he needed to conjure up his Astral ally. Noctis' eyes turned blood red as he whispered into his magic, "Titan, I beg for your help. Bring chaos to my enemies."

The earth shook violently as Titan rose from the ground with a roar. Ignis grabbed Noctis' arm and started running towards the concealed entrance with Gladio, Luna and Prompto around them. The advisor caught the crystalline light of the glaives warping away before Gladio kicked the door of the ventilation shed open and slammed it shut behind them. They were in.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N:My planned drabble for Ten years has spoilers for Bahamut so I'll wait for a bit before posting it. In other words, you will be getting several chapters of Bahamut in the coming weeks!

The vent was large enough for someone like Luna, Prompto, or Noctis, after having taken several ethers, to pass through the metal and cement tunnel with ease; but Ignis and Gladio found themselves hunching and crouching to move forward. Luna couldn't help the giggles that escaped her everytime she turned around to look at the two taller men moving slowly behind the group.

Prompto led the way, followed closely by Noctis with Luna in the middle and Ignis then Gladio following afterwards. The tunnel is supposed to lead them straight to the main generator room within the base. Ignis wasn't certain where that was exactly but considering their target was so easily visible he wasn't worried about getting lost.

The group were able to make their way to the end of the vent tunnel with ease despite the near constant earthquakes from Titan's attack. Prompto carefully slid between the large metallic bars separating the tunnel from the generator room and dropped the short distance to the ground. The room was loud with the hum of machinery and working ventilation shafts running but Prompto could still hear the thump of boots patrolling the area.

The gunner looked up and motioned for his boyfriends and Luna to remain where they were. He summoned his gun and crept slowly between the large bits of machinery surrounding him. Prompto flattened himself against the cold metal casing as he carefully peered around the corner.

He could clearly see two soldiers patrolling the catwalk leading to the only door out of the room. Prompto bit down on his lips when both soldiers turned around, exposing their faces to him. He hated the sight of his own face on the soldiers, their expression blank of all emotions and uncaring.

He took a deep breath, concentrating on the very real fact that there was nothing he could do to help them and raised his gun slowly. Prompto waited until both of the soldiers were crossing each other's path before firing twice. He looked away as the body thumped heavily to the ground, forcing himself to verify he hadn't missed anyone else in the room.

Prompto returned to the vent entrance once he made sure the room was clear. "Okay, we can get going!" He helped Luna get down from the vent and stood watch as Noctis, Ignis and Gladio dropped down.

The moment Gladio touched the ground, he moved to join Prompto. The Shield spotted the two killed soldiers on the catwalk, noticing the red blood dripping through the mesh flooring and gave his boyfriend a one-armed hug. "You okay Prom?"

Prompto nodded, looking everywhere except at the two bodies. Gladio squeezed his boyfriend once more before turning to look at the rest of their group. "Okay, we need to move quickly and quietly from now on. Prom? Can you take point with Iggy?" He waited until both men nodded before continuing, "Good then Luna will follow with Noct and I'll take care of our backs." He quickly checked that his directions had been understood before motioning for Ignis and Prompto to go on ahead.

Prompto glanced over towards Ignis, smiling when the adviser tilted his head to indicate Prompto should go first. He did so confidently, hurrying past the bodies towards the door.

It opened quietly and easily at Prompto's push. The first glance into the hallway showed no movement and Prompto risked opening the door wider. With Ignis following right behind, Prompto stepped into the open hallway and scanned the grey hall in front of him while Ignis did the same behind him.

There was no movement, only the continued sound of boulders crashing down, Titan's screams and gunshots resounding around them. Prompto heard Ignis' heavy exhale, glancing over his shoulder at the adviser. "Everything okay?" He whispered softly.

Ignis replied in the same low voice, "Yes, we need to get outside or find a window to determine our location. Considering our travels to get here I suggest we go in a eastern direction so head more or less to the right when possible."

Prompto nodded, quickly checking the others waiting at the entrance of the room before he carefully walked down to the cross section and looked both way. "I think there's a window here!" He called out softly to Ignis.

Ignis and Prompto moved as quietly as ghosts through the hall until they found a window just as Prompto had said. It allowed them to figure out they weren't very far from their target.

Prompto craned his neck backwards to see as much as he could of the building above him, muttering, "I think we need to get to the central tower to get in to rescue Iris."

Ignis sighed, "I have to agree. I cannot see any other way into the tower other than that bridge." He frowned and added, "We should hurry up. There is no telling how much longer Titan will be able to distract the soldiers."

Prompto nodded, turning backwards to motion Noct and the others to come on closer before going on ahead once more with Ignis beside him. The corridors were mostly empty except for occasional patrol that were easily avoided.

They were able to quickly find their way to the rooftop of the building after finding a map of the base in an empty room. Ignis readjusted his glasses as he looked at the fading shape of the Archean. "If the map is accurate then we must make our way to the Armory in order to enter the central tower."

Noctis nodded and looked over Ignis shoulder at the map for a moment before moving closer to the edge of the roof. He looked around until he found what he was looking for and pointed at a small but well guarded building a few meters away. "There!"

Noct waited until the others had moved closer before suggesting, "We won't be able to surprise them if we have to go down and cross through that open ground. But I can easily warp there and Prompto can back me up."

Gladio frowned, sharing a quick glance with Ignis before he spoke, "Too risky Noct. You won't be able to get them all before someone triggers an alarm. No we'll take the risk of being spotted but we stick together."

Noctis frowned, for a moment it seemed as if he was going to argue but in the end he simply sighed and nodded his understanding. "Fine but we have to hurry up, Iris and anyone else in there are waiting for us." He hissed.

They wasted no time in going down a floor and quietly made their way through the connected building until they arrived at the closest entrance to the Armory. Ignis motioned for the rest of them to stop as he looked out the small window set in the door.

"We will have to move quickly once the door opens. Noct, Prompto; strike quickly but with accuracy. That should keep the attention away from us long enough to cross the distance unnoticed." Ignis strategized.

Noct smirked, his hand open and ready to draw one of his weapons to him at a moment's notice. "Got it Specs." He glanced over at Luna, who nodded confidently to him, and added, "We'll try to leave some for you three."

Prompto sniggered at Noctis' words even as Ignis and Gladio groaned. The Shield slapped the Prince's back and grumbled, "Try not to end up needing rescuing and be careful."

Ignis raised three fingers as his other hand grasped the handle of the door. A silent countdown began until finally Ignis yanked the door open and Prompto and Noctis flew out to attack the soldiers.

Noct's warp dropped him right in the middle of the left guard pack. He wrenched his sword out of the body and twisted to add force into his next blow. A gunshot rang out and another body dropped motionless to the ground, soon joined by a third and fourth.

A dagger whistled through the air, its target the bared neck of a fifth soldier. It was soon followed by a grunt as Gladio swung his broadsword to take out two other soldiers. Luna was quick to take out the last soldier with her trident.

Prompto hurried over as soon as he saw Luna take down the last soldier. He ignored the bodies around him in order to hike his sleeve up enough for the reader to scan his barcode. It flashed green and the door opened with a hiss.

Ignis went in first, motioning for the others to follow him as he saw the place which was devoid of life. There was another door hidden behind shelves of ammo, ammo which Prompto quickly sent to join his guns as he passed by, that led to the only way into the central tower other than by airship.

Once more Ignis and Prompto led the way through the door, where they took down another two soldiers standing guard in the short passage. Prompto's code gave them access to the tower. The interior of the Niflheim made tower of steel and metal was empty except for a winding staircase, a central elevator and, strangely enough, no other guards or soldiers.

Luna frowned as she stepped past the men to look up at the top of the tower. "Am I the only one who thinks this is a trap?" She looked back to see Gladio shaking his head and added, "Good. So stairs or elevator?"

Noctis grinned. "Elevator. There's no way I'm climbing all those stairs." Prompto nodded enthusiastically beside the King as he too took in the sight of the winding and endless-looking staircase.

Gladio chuckled as he moved towards the elevator. "Are you sure Noct? I think walking up would make a great warm up for whatever fight we end up dealing with once we reach Iris and whoever else is here."

Noctis glanced over to retort when a speaker turned on and Pelna's voice reached them. "Sorry to interrupt your fun, but you guys need to hurry up. We have two airships heading our way."

Ignis swore and hurried over to the elevator just as its doors opened without prompting. He hesitated for a moment before stepping in and asking, "Your doing I suppose?"

Luna didn't wait for an answer as she asked, "Are you all alright?" she was quickly joined by Noctis, Prompto and Gladio in the elevator.

As the lift started moving Pelna's voice answered, "Ya, we're all fine. We barely met with any resistance, only a few patrols that were easy to take out. Too easy in fact."

Ignis cleared his throat, interrupting Pelna to ask, "Since you are speaking to us I imagine that you've found the command center?"

They heard some buzzing noise from the speaker and Nyx's voice answered, "We did and it's also the communication center. Hence our knowledge of the airships on their way to grab more prisoners. We got maybe 15 minutes before they notice something's wrong."

The four guys and Luna exchanged worried glances at the news. Gladio growled, "Then tell us what to expect so we can get in and out quickly!" He clenched a hand into a fist so tight his knuckles went white. Ignis shot him a concerned look but didn't move as they waited for the Glaives to answer them.

Pelna's voice came back after a few moments of silence, detailing what they were able to see from the cameras in the area. Very few guards, mostly clones, were guarding the entrance to their destination. The cameras inside the tower were mostly aimed at the holding cell, making it hard to determine how many enemies might be waiting for them within but they had seen at least a dozen from the multiple views.

The tower itself seemed to be composed of three floors of holding cells, each floor having 5 cells and each cell holding about 4 people; but only half were actually occupied. Iris was alone in one of the cells on the lowest level with three soldiers guarding her. Ignis was utterly relieved when Pelna told him that his uncle was among the prisoners still remaining.

The elevator came to a stop and Pelna warned them, "Half of the guards are on their way to check the elevator. I'm going to open the doors in… three...two...one!" The door opened with a chime, giving Prompto a perfect view of the soldiers, thankfully not clones this time.

As Prompto aimed past the closest bunch to take out the ones still by the tower door, Gladio and Noctis jumped forward to attack the soldiers. Ignis and Luna only a heartbeat behind them as they charged out to help clear the area. Prompto stayed within the elevator until all the Niflheim soldiers were down, strolling out of the metal cage with a sigh of relief to join the others in front of the door.

"That tower is on a separate circuit so I can't do anything other than watch the camera feed and open the front door. You should be able to find the controls on the first floor without too much trouble." Pelna warned them one last time.

Ignis nodded his understanding, looking around to his boyfriends and Lunafreya before telling them how they would proceed. "We need to act quickly and effectively. Noctis, follow Gladio down to rescue Iris and anyone else on the lower floor. Luna and Prompto should take the second floor and I will deal with the soldiers here."

Ignis smirked confidently as he summoned a flask of Noctis' magic before adding, "Speed is of the essence. Deal with the guards before attempting to open any of the cells. Understood?" Ignis looked around from one to the other, seeing each nod resolutely back before he approached the door.

It whirled softly as it opened, revealing the blank expression of the blank expressions of the clone soldiers and the startled one of the human soldiers. Ignis shouted, "Get back!", before lobbing the flask towards the middle of the floor.

It exploded into a cloud of ice and fire, quickly turning into a thick and cold fog that blinded everyone. Ignis pushed the closest two of his companions on the back, signaling them to run which they did.

Ignis closed his eyes, listening intently for the sounds of thumping boots. Noctis' footsteps were followed by Gladio's heavier ones just as Prompto's was with Luna's light footsteps as they rushed past the confused soldiers to the stairs leading down to the other floors.

It left Ignis to deal with the 4 soldiers standing around completely flummoxed. He rushed the closest one, dropping slightly to ram an elbow into the soldier's neck. They dropped with a choked gurgle.

Ignis summoned his dagger as he twisted and slashed at the second one. The feeling of metal biting into flesh and the spray of warm blood hitting, staining, his arm told him his aim was true and he could move on.

He ignored the thump of the bodies in order to hurry through the fog towards the other two soldiers. Ignis picked up a slight sound, the click of metal on metal, and dove forward just as a spray of bullet flew where he had been standing moments before.

He sprang back to his feet, daggers coated with magic as he threw them towards the source of the attack. A scream gave Ignis the exact location of his target and he surged forward, throwing his weight behind the open palmed thrust that shattered his target's nose.

The body had barely slumped to the ground before Ignis was back in motion, ears straining to pick up the last enemy in the area. Unfortunately the last soldier found him first, the end of a riffle coming to rest at the back of his neck causing Ignis to freeze for a split second before dropping to a knee.

Ignis twisted as he fell, his hands grabbing the gun and using his fall to wrench it out of the soldier's hands. There was a fraction of a second where Ignis feared he had made a mistake before the gun slipped from its owner's grip, allowing Ignis to toss it away.

Ignis grunted as an armored fist came into contact with his shoulder. He rolled with the punch and transformed the momentum into a sweeping kick that tripped his opponent. A single downward slice and Ignis have a relieved sigh as he pushed himself to his feet.

The artificial fog was slowly disappearing, leaving only a damp coldness to the area. "Ignis?" A voice called out from one of the cell and Ignis jerked to stare at his bruised uncle.

"Uncle!" Ignis hurried to the cell, reaching through the bars to him. "You're injured! What have they done to…"

Ventus interrupted his nephew gently, "I am fine Ignis. We must hurry out of here, General Glauca plans on dropping some new weapon here to test out."

Ignis nodded numbly as he turned around looking to a way to open the 7 occupied cell located on the floor. He kept an ear out to the sound of gunshots from the lower floors. There were a few, then nothing but silence.

It didn't take long for Ignis to find a console tucked out of sight and to figure out how to open the cell doors. The prisoners, mostly people who had worked at the Citadel with Ignis before Niflheim's invasion, helped each other out into the passage leading to the central tower.

Ventus limped over to Ignis, worry plain in his eyes as he asked, "Where are his Majesty and the others?" He hissed when Ignis grabbed his arm in a light grip.

Ignis took a hissing breath at the sight of his normally strong and steady uncle flinching at his light touch. As much as he wanted, Ignis could not offer a potion without knowing how Noctis and his boyfriends fared. "They went to free the others on the lower levels."

Ventus nodded then looked toward the open doorway. He sighed and offered, "I'll start getting them down." He turned to his nephew, giving the young man a tired but proud smile, "Go! Your place is by their side."

Ignis gave his uncle a quick smile, barely refraining from hugging him (Prompto was really starting to rub off on him) before running to the stairs as quickly as possible. He took the stairs three at a time until he found himself at the entrance of the next level just in time to hear Prompto give a gleeful shout.

Ignis took a deep breath, making certain it was steady and calm before he entered the second floor and looked around as the prisoners hurried out of their cells. Ignis frowned as he saw the people coming out; he recognized many as being servants of noble houses of Insomnia.

Luna noticed Ignis before Prompto did and walked gracefully over to him, quietly asking, "Is everything alright, Ignis?"

Ignis nodded, his frown deepening as he looked more closely at the Insomnians rushing past him up the stairs. Most were uninjured, other than a few bruises on the odd prisoner.

He turned to Luna and replied slowly, "Did you perhaps heal them already?" His frown deepened at the headshake he received. "I see. My uncle has started to bring our friends down the tower; we must hurry to leave. Could you go help him?"

Luna frowned and nodded slowly, she could tell that something was bothering Ignis but knew he would not speak of it until he had a better understanding of the situation. Prompto joined them at that moment and asked, "Hey Iggy! Did you find your uncle?"

Ignis gave the blond a tight smile, "Yes." He turned to look at the stairs leading to the lowest floor with a worried gaze. Prompto met Luna's gaze and nodded as she started following after the people they had just saved.

Wordlessly both men climbed down the last flight of stairs and stopped at the entrance of the lowest floor. The sight that greeted them was a happy one as Gladio had Iris smothered against his chest, her soft sobs muffled by her brother while Noctis rubbed circles on her shuddering back.

Noctis met their gaze and tilted his head slightly. Ignis and Prompto returned the movement before starting to climb back up slowly to meet up with Luna and Ventus. Gladio, Noctis and Iris would join them when they could; for now they had to see to the evacuation of the prisoners.

A/N: I am starting to plan for the next part of this au which will be side stories filling in gaps of Bahamut. I'd like to know which side stories you would like to see and any suggestions for drabble or stories! Thank you!


	28. Chapter 28

Ignis and Prompto returned to the main tower to find that Luna had already taken the reigns of the evacuation. She wasn't the only one helping the ex-prisoners as they saw Nyx and Libertus administering some first-aid while Luna's hands glowed with her power.

Ignis and Prompto shared a surprised glance before they walked over to the trio. Ignis dropped to a knee between Nyx and Luna, his eyes taking in the broken fingers that Luna was healing.

Nyx spoke up without stopping as he wrapped bandages around a shallow cut that spanned a page's arm. "Where's his Majesty?"

Ignis replied as he handed over some tape to Nyx, "He's with Gladio and Iris. She needed some time with her brother and His Majesty is guarding them."

Nyx nodded as he finished the bandage, "Got it. Pelna is directing everyone to the trucks once they've been cleared to move by us." He jerked his head towards the elevator. "Your uncle refused Luna's healing. He needs it; so go convince him to stop being stubborn, won't you?"

Ignis groaned and nodded. "I will." He paused and added under his breath, "Uncle said that Niflheim was going to unleash a new weapon of some kind here." He pushes himself to his feet.

Nyx chuckled, "Ya, he said as much but I doubt we have to worry about that." He glanced up at Ignis for a brief moment before concentrating on the young lady who was helped to sit in front of him. "Pelna saw three airships approaching while copying the data he found in the base's computer. Crowe was in that area and… Well we figured out what the blessing Ramuh gave us is and she used it to destroy the ships before they got too close."

Ignis looked down sharply, a confused look on his face. He barely refrained from questioning the glaive further but he could do so later, once they were safely away. He simply inquired, "What of the guards still left behind?" Nyx's smirk was answer enough for Ignis.

He passed by Prompto, who was helping another of the injured prisoner to sit in front of Luna, as he walked over to his uncle. The central tower was better illuminated than the cell tower and the light allowed Ignis to see the extent of the injuries his uncle suffered.

Deep bruises marked his arms and the skin visible above the collar of his shirt. Damp patches on the shirt had Ignis quicken his step. A black eye adorned his uncle's face along with a serious-looking cut that still bled occasionally.

Ignis waited until his uncle had sent off the next group into the small elevator before making his presence known. "Uncle." He caught the barely-concealed wince that flashed across his uncle's face as the older, injured man turned to face his nephew.

"Ignis! You've returned quickly but," Ventus looked around quickly as he spoke, "I do not see his Majesty. Is everything well?" His gaze returned to Ignis, and he winced internally at the determined frown he saw appearing on his nephew's face.

Ignis didn't answer right away, simply meeting his uncle's gaze with a determined one of his own. "His Majesty is unharmed. You, on the other hand, are in need of medical attention." Ignis crossed his arms and dared his uncle to contradict him.

Ventus sighed and did just that, "I am fine, Ignis. There are others in need of more ur…" He didn't have the chance to finish his thought as Ignis reached out and grabbed his left arm. His nephew barely put any pressure on it but it was enough for Ventus to have to bite back a groan of pain as it flashed through him, nearly making him nauseated.

Ignis lifted an eyebrow and threatened his stubborn uncle in a low voice. "That is more than enough Uncle. I do not care to hear for any of the excuses you have prepared. You will follow me to be seen by Lady Lunafreya or I will sling you over my shoulder and carry you to her." He didn't even blink as he spoke, staring at his uncle.

Ventus sighed, his shoulder slumping in defeat as he nodded slowly. Ignis felt his shoulder fall as he relaxed, giving his uncle a grateful smile before gently steering him over to where Luna was. Luna looked up as they approached, giving Ignis an amused smile before turning a critical gaze on Ventus.

Ignis stepped back as Luna went to work, her hands glowing brightly as she started to deal with Ventus' many injuries. There was something about the way his uncle was acting almost...guilty and refusing to see to his injuries that had Ignis puzzled. It was unlike his uncle to act in such an irresponsible manner.

Some voices were heard from the cell tower, Ignis turned to look and smiled as Noctis and Gladio came out. Iris seemed to be asleep in Gladio's arms, Ignis smiling as he noticed the peaceful expression the young girl wore. The trio headed straight for Ignis, his uncle and Luna as soon as they emerged from the tower.

Libertus was up in a moment, moving to meet them with a potion flask in hand. Gladio nodded thankfully as Libertus broke it over Iris' sleeping form, the bruises already fading as they approached. Luna looked up for a brief moment, gauzing the extent of Iris' injuries before returning to her healing of Ventus.

Ignis looked over at Noctis, eyes flicking meaningfully between Luna and him. Noct nodded, summoning an ether flask and throwing it over to Ignis before he shoved Gladio towards a free spot on the floor. Ignis caught the flask, giving Noctis a pointed disapproving look before turning and kneeling beside Luna and his uncle.

"Here, use this." He whispered as he pushed the flask into her free hand. Luna didn't stop her healing as she squeezed the bottle until it shattered in her grip. Ignis nodded to himself in satisfaction as her body posture relaxed a bit. He gave his uncle, who looked much better than before, a quick smile before heading to see Noct.

Gladio had laid Iris on the floor, her head resting on his lap as Libertus and Prompto worked together to bandage any injuries not healed by Noctis and the potion. Ignis knelt down beside the group and started telling Noctis and Gladio what they had missed.

Noctis and Gladio listened intently as Ignis gave his report, Libertus interrupting to add a few details to it. Noctis tapped his ring finger against his leg as he considered what to do. "Our priority is seeing everyone to safety but where do we go? Lestallum is clearly not safe any longer." He frowned as he muttered under his breath.

Libertus straightens from where he had been hunched over Iris and suggests softly, "What about Galahd? It won't have the same comforts as Lestallum but it would be safer." The glaive looked at his king and found himself blushing at the four intense stares aimed at him.

Ignis chuckled, "That is perfect. Navalus did say he would work things out to allow Insomnians to settle down, at least temporarily, within the region." Ignis dug out his phone, frowning as he saw there was no signal. "We will have to wait until we leave before we can contact Navalus about this."

Noct nodded, "Then it's settled. We will arrange for everyone to make their way to Galahd." He looked over at Gladio for a moment before adding, "I'm worried about the weapon that Ventus mentioned. I think the Glaives should serve as escort to a safe resting area. While you do that with Luna, we'll go check the airships Crowe took down and see what we can find."

Libertus nodded as Noctis explained his plan. "We can do that. It might be hard getting to somewhere safe before nightfall but I think we can manage it." He finished bandaging Iris.

Gladio tensed up as Noctis outlined the plan. He stayed quiet as Libertus got up and headed towards Nyx. It wasn't until Noct place a hand on his arm that Gladio spoke softly. "What about Iris?"

Noct looked down at the sleeping Amicitia silently. Gladio tightened his grip on his sister and growled, "I can't just leave her alone Noct!"

"I know…" Noct answered with a sigh. He brushed aside a lock of hair as he smiled down at Iris. "What do you want to do, Gladio?"

Gladio ducked his head as he considered his options. He desperately wanted to stay with Iris. She had been through such a hard time not long after losing their father! He couldn't possibly leave her alone after that; neither could he send her away.

Gladio gritted his teeth together as he struggled with himself. Ignis, Prompto and Noctis watched with heavy hearts as their boyfriend thought about what he would do.

After several long minutes of silence, Gladio finally spoke to his boyfriends, "I'll let her choose what she wants to do." He sighed and let go of Iris reluctantly. "But I'm going with you to check on that weapon, got it?"

Prompto grinned and hugged Gladio. Noct and Ignis simply smiled towards them. Ignis waited a few moments before clearing his throat and getting up to his feet. "As much as we need a break from all this, we need to start moving if we wish to ensure everyone can get to safety."

Gladio, Noct and Prompto nodded. Gladio gathered Iris in his arms before getting up carefully. Ignis helped Noct to his feet before they all headed over to where the elevator. The last group of Insomnians were being sent down leaving only Ventus, Luna, the two glaives and themselves.

Noct stopped beside Luna and Ventus, giving the older man a relieved smile. "I'm so glad you're doing alright Ventus. We were quite worried about you."

Ventus nodded numbly, refusing to meet the young king's eyes. Noct shot Ignis a confused look at the man's unusual reaction. Ignis simply shook his head, just as worried and confused as Noct was.

Luna finally stopped her healing with a heavy sigh, dropping her hands to her lap. She smiled at everyone, "That's all I can do for the moment." She slowly got to her feet, staggering a bit until Nyx appeared behind her to act as her support with Libertus following close behind.

She gave him a delighted smile, snuggling closer to Nyx. Luna turned to Noct and inquired, "What is the plan now?" She looked between Noct and Nyx.

Noct smiled gently and explained, "I want you and the glaives to escort everyone to a safe place to rest. I'm going to go check on something with the others and then join you after."

Libertus added, "After that, we'll see if Galahd can take in everyone since Lestallum isn't safe anymore. Nyx's uncle should be able to let us know." Luna hummed and nodded sleepily.

Nyx smiled, pressing a kiss on Luna's forehead before bending down slightly to pick her up, "You're exhausted so rest. We're getting out of here." As he spoke the elevator had returned and the final group stepped in.

They soon found themselves outside, seeing Crowe and Pelna directing the last group that had left the tower before them towards military trucks. Nyx nodded towards Noct before adjusting his grip on a sleeping Luna and then heading towards what appeared to be an empty truck.

Gladio was about to follow him when Crowe suddenly appeared in front of them with a feral grin. "About time you got out! I found something you might be interested in." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder and Noct followed the directions until he saw what she meant.

"The Regalia!" Noct shouted before Prompto slapped a hand over his mouth while Gladio and Ignis glared at him. Crowe and Libs chuckled as they watched Noct brush Prompto's hand off and ran towards his dad's car.

A/N:

AH! EPISODE IGNIS WAS SO GREAT! (but now the bar has been set for a happy ending so I have to work hard to match or surpass it XD)

I am starting to plan for the next part of this au which will be side stories filling in gaps of Bahamut. I'd like to know which side stories you would like to see and any suggestions for drabble or stories! Thank you!


	29. Chapter 29

Prompto hurried after Noctis, leaving Ignis and Gladio to talk with the glaives a bit longer under the bright lights of the base. Gladio chuckled at the sight of Noctis fawning over his dad's car before he turned and asked Crowe, "Can you watch over Iris for me?" He doubted she would wake up before they returned and he knew Crowe and the other glaives would ensure she was safe until his return.

Crowe gave Gladio an exasperated look as if commenting on the need for such a question. She carefully took Iris into her arms, "The airships went down just past the ridge." She smirked, "Just follow the smoke."

While Gladio spoke with Crowe, Ignis turned to his uncle and Libertus. There were several details that needed to be dealt with before they left. "We need to find a safe place for them," Ignis waved his hand towards the truck full of Insomnian refugees, "to hide until we can contact Sir Navalus and figure out how to bring everyone to Galahd."

Libertus was about to reply when ear-piercing howls interrupted him and the whole base was suddenly plunged into darkness. Ignis saw the refugees peering out from the trucks with panic and fear in their eyes but he couldn't stop to reassure any of them. "Uncle! Get them back into the tower and keep everyone calm!" He shouted before running towards the stairs leading up to the top of the wall.

Noctis had warped up there as soon as the howls started. He was surprised by how quickly Nyx appeared beside him, not in a flash of blue but rather simply there in a flash of bright light. He didn't have time to consider what that meant as the howling started up again.

"Damn it!" Noct swore as he spotted the source of the howls. He half turned and shouted to his friends, "Daemons! Lots of them!"

Nyx summoned his kukris, "It's been awhile since I saw this many of them all together. They must have been the weapons Scientia mentioned." He growled, "Damn Niffs! What are they thinking?"

"Doesn't matter." Ignis said as he came to stand beside them, "We must ensure they do not breach the tower." He considered the state of the few fighters they had. Nyx and the glaives had fought quite a bit as they cleared the base of soldiers. They, themselves, were not in the best shape but had more energy than the glaives.

As the daemons started drawing ever closer, Ignis told the others his plan. "Nyx, Crowe, Libertus and Pelna; please fall back to the tower and protect it. Noctis, Prompto, Gladio and I will bring the fight to the daemons and try to keep them from entering the base." There were nods all around him.

Nyx was reluctant to leave the fighting to the younger Crownsguards but he knew he was getting tired. Using Ramuh's blessing was taking a lot more out of him than he had expected, being able to move at the speed of lightning seemed to cost them almost ten times the energy of a long warp. "Got it, but we'll keep an eye on you and act as your backup if things get messy." He narrowed his eyes at Ignis defiantly.

Ignis nodded his understanding, turning away from Nyx in order to look at the daemons. He could recognize a most of the kinds approaching quickly. A sharp gasp from beside him had Ignis turning to look at Prompto worryingly. "Prompto? Are you alright?"

"Y..Ya, I'm okay… Just there's a really strong daemon somewhere close by and it's… like ridiculously strong." Prompto said, a hand clutching at the front of his shirt and starring out past the horde of daemons approaching. Gladio was rubbing a hand over his back, sending Ignis a worried glance before turning his attention back to their blond boyfriend.

Noct glanced over to Prompto quickly before demanding softly, "Prom, I need you to be honest. Can you fight?" Prompto nodded determinedly at that and Noctis gave him a grin. "Ok then! Specs, call out anything you notice. Now let's go!" He grinned at Gladio, receiving a confident smirk back before warping to the ground in front of the incoming daemons.

Gladio shook his head, giving Prompto one last worried look before jumping down to stand by Noct with his greatsword in hand. Ignis and Prompto both followed after them, leaving Nyx to tell the glaives the plan and keep everyone they had just saved safe.

The first wave of daemons crashed against them within seconds. Noct frowned as he noticed that a single strike was enough to destroy them but there wasn't time to think about why when every daemon he killed was replaced by three more.

While Gladio stuck beside Noctis in the middle of the daemon crowd, Ignis and Prompto stayed closer to the wall and took out the daemons that bypassed their two boyfriends. Prompto was having trouble concentrating as the daemon in him started getting more active. Already his sight was changing, the night growing darker and yet clearer as the sparks of the Scourged filled the night with every daemon they killed.

Prompto couldn't prevent the scourge that approached him to be absorbed into his body, feeding the daemon in him. He forced himself to shift that daemonic energy into magic, sending as much as he could to Noctis' reserve.

Ignis stayed close to Prompto, he was well aware of the troubles being close to daemons could cause him and wanted to be close in case something happened. He could see Prompto slowing down for a brief moment after a daemon was killed close to him. Ignis made sure to kill as many daemons as he could before they ever got that close to Prompto.

The four men fought together, supporting each other with the ease that came from a long friendship and lots of practice. Ignis kept a close eye on Prompto and was the first who noticed the sudden change in the daemons' attacks.

Within the span of 75 seconds, the daemons went from attacking all of them to ignoring Noctis, Ignis and Gladio in favor of charging at Prompto. Ignis reacted quickly by placing himself between his boyfriend and the incoming threats.

Prompto gasped, shouting "Iggy!", when the advisor jumped in front of him and grunted as a goblin slammed into him. He shot the daemon off and hissed as the scourge slithered into his body as the goblin dissolved.

Prompto stumbled back as Noct and Gladio arrived, cutting through the throngs of flans, goblins, and tarantulas and adding to the increase of scourge around him. He choked at the heaviness of it overwhelming him, barely managing to croak out, "Noct...magic…", before dropping to his hands and knees heaving.

Thankfully Noctis had been keeping an eye on Prompto while cutting through the hordes of daemons and caught on what Prompto needed. "Specs! Gladio! Grab Prom and get back! I'm going to light up the place!" He barely waited for either of them to reply, knowing that Prompto didn't have time to waste, before pulling as much of his magic as he could and forcing it into a flask.

The moment it was in, Noctis lobbed the flask towards a goblin and warped away. The goblin batted the flask with an arm. It broke and unleashed the might of Noctis' and Prompto's combined magic.

The resulting explosion of lightning, ice and… "Is that a gravity well?" Whispered Ignis as he kept watched for any daemon surviving the onslaught that Noctis had just created. The magic sweep away all the daemons, destroying them completely and leaving only burnt ground filled with icicles.

Gladio had grabbed Prompto as soon as Noct had shouted his warning and ran towards the base's wall while Ignis guarded their backs. He dropped Prompto to the ground and quickly checked him for any injuries, relieved when he saw none.

Prompto groaned, partly in relief and partly in pain, as Noctis drew on his magic reserve and allowed Prompto to force part of the Scourge into magic for his boyfriend. Having Gladio grab him so roughly wasn't easy on his stomach but he was more concerned with the unhappy daemon in him that was trying to come out and play.

He was winning that fight until the earth rumbling as something big and heavy drew closer. Prompto opened his eyes as he heard both Gladio and Ignis swear from beside him, it was followed shortly by even more swearing coming from the top of the wall above him.

"What in Ifrit's name is that?" Nyx exclaimed. "Is it the weapon?" The four glaive have felt the burst of magic and decided they needed to get closer to check on Noctis and his boyfriends before they got into too much trouble. They were rather happy they had as they spotted the approaching threat first while Noctis recovered from the use of his magic and Gladio and Ignis checked on Prompto.

A humanoid figure, twice as tall as a Red Giant, was slowly walking closer. Each step was followed by a small earthquake that grew as it got closer. As it approached, its features became clearer; a humanoid shaped machine with extremely large shoulders and legs was walking towards them with a single mindedness that could be felt from a distance.

Ignis and Gladio shifted protectively in front of Prompto as their boyfriend whimpered and curled up on himself. Noctis, Nyx and the three other glaives were quick to join them as they turned to face the last daemon they could see among the dark moonless night.

Ignis glanced at Prompto, gritting his teeth together as he saw how pale and tense he was. "We need to deal with this… daemon as quickly as possible. Prompto is not reacting well to its presence."

Nyx cast a glanced at Prompto, worried and confused. "I'd ask why he's reacting like that but we don't have time. Pelna! Get the kid to the tower. If Luna is strong enough she might be able to help. Otherwise we're on our own." Pelna nodded, dropping to a knee to grab Prompto before warping away with the blond kid in his arms.

Gladio brought his sword back into his hand, staring at the daemon as it walked. "Okay, Igs, how do you suggest we deal with that thing?"

Ignis looked at Noct, "Noct, how are you magic wise?"

Noctis quickly checked before he answered, "Looks fine. Prom filled it back up right after I used the flask."

The advisor and strategist smirked as he planned a battle strategy to combat the approaching enemy using the 6 of them effectively. "Nyx, Noctis. Both of you warp up to its head and aim for its eyes. Try to blind it as much as possible. Gladio and Libertus, concentrate your strength against its legs. Crowe and I will use magic to support all of you. We must bring it down before it reaches the base!"

Noctis and Nyx shared a smirk before warping away without saying anything else. The blue streaks of warps showed their path clearly as they quickly closed the distance. Gladio growled, swearing, "Damn it!", before running after them.

The rest of the group followed quickly after the reckless duo that was Noctis and Nyx teamed up. As soon as they were close enough, Libertus warped on ahead to help draw the attention of the daemon away from the other two.

Crowe stayed some distance away as she gathered her magic and started weaving her spells together. Ignis continued on with Gladio, both crownguard acting in concert to strike at the daemon. Gladio swung his great sword with both of his hands, wincing as metal struck metal, while Ignis used his daggers to the same almost futile result.

"Damn it! Its armor is too thick! We won't be able to get through it easily." Ignis exclaimed angrily as he retreated a few steps to reconsider the situation. It seemed that Noctis and Nyx were doing some damage but they couldn't be certain of how much. At least the daemon was no longer moving forward as it brought its attention to the annoying flies bothering it.

A/N: the humanoid shaped they see is a miniature Diamond Weapon from Kingsglaive. It's smaller than the ones in the movie because of the lack of strong daemons available to Niflheim.


	30. Chapter 30

Dawn was approaching slowly; the first hints of light less than an hour away, but that was an hour too long. Noct barely managed to warp out of the way of the daemon before being dragged into stasis as he stumbled to the ground.

"Noct!" Ignis shouted as he hurried to cover him while Gladio, Nyx, Libertus, Pelna and Crowe continued to attack. Ignis quickly checked through the armiger, despite already knowing what he would find or rather not find in it, but they had exhausted all their curatives and ethers a while ago.

Noct accepted the help as he got up. "This...sucks…" Noct panted. "We can barely scratch it!" He leaned heavily on his adviser and boyfriend, his core of magic and energy utterly emptied by the near-constant fighting.

Ignis nodded frowning, Noctis was right. Despite fighting against the daemon for almost a full hour they were no closer to taking it down than when it had first appeared. It was to be expected; they had been awake for almost a full day and had been either fighting or running for most of that time.

"Fall back!" Ignis ordered as he slung Noctis' arm over his shoulder. Crowe appeared quickly by their side, turning around to hurl one last spell to cover their retreat before grabbing Noctis' other arm and helping Ignis get the king away.

Gladio and Nyx stayed at the back as the all hurried back towards the base with the daemon following behind them. "What's the plan, Ignis?" Called out Gladio as they ran.

"It should be to get busy destroying the base. We need to get everyone on the trucks and get out as quickly as we can and hope it won't follow us!" Ignis replied.

Pelna shouted "I'll go on ahead!", before warping away with what remained of his magic to get the evacuation started.

The rest of the fighters slipped into the base within minutes of Pelna's departure and found several of the trucks already full and starting to move. Gladio took over supporting Noctis, while Ignis and the other three glaives hurried to help evacuate the central tower.

Gladio brought Noctis to the Regalia and started the car. He didn't enjoy driving but he had been taught how to drive any vehicle in case of emergencies. Turning the car around and stopping close to where Ignis was, Gladio called out, "Where's Prompto?"

It wasn't Ignis who answered but rather his uncle by pointing towards one of the trucks disappearing through the gate. "We put him and Lady Lunafreya in the first truck to see them to safety."

It seemed as though the last of the Insomnians were safely in the trucks, and just in time as the daemon started grabbing chunks of the wall and throwing them around. Ignis waited until his uncle was safely with Crowe before joining Gladio and Noct in the Regalia.

As the daemon raged against the Niflheim base, throwing cement, rocks and bits of buildings around the night, the convoy were able to leave its range safely within minutes. Ignis twisted in his seat, both to check on Noctis slumped on the backseat and to look as the daemon disappeared within the base walls to continue its rampage.

Noctis suddenly gasped, jerking up straight with a look of horror in his eyes. "Prompto! I have to go to him now!" Ignis barely managed to grab his arm as Noct tried to jump out of the moving Regalia.

"Prompto is safe! Calm down Noctis!" Demanded Ignis in a huff. "He's in the second truck that left. Uncle saw to him!"

The king shook his head, free hand grasping at Ignis' in an attempt to break free of his grasp. "You don't understand! My magic! Its full again!" Noct jerked his arm out of Ignis' grasp and quickly warped to the ground.

His landing was less than graceful as the exhaustion slowed his reaction significantly but Noctis pushed himself back to his feet and ran back towards the base. He didn't get far as his actions hadn't gone unnoticed and Nyx warped right in front of him.

Noctis slammed into the older man's chest and found himself picked up by Nyx. "Wooh there! What do you think you're doing?" the glaive demanded.

Noctis struggled to get free as he tried to explain, "Prompto! He's in danger!" He pushed against Nyx's shoulder in an attempt to get free of Nyx's grip but the glaive simply shifted slightly and tightened his grip on him.

Ignis and Gladio had joined them by then, both sharing worried looks with Nyx as Noctis kept struggling. Nyx sighed looking at the stopped convoy, "Then let's check up on him. Ignis, do you know which of the trucks he's in?"

Ignis nodded, "Uncle said he was with Lunafreya in the second truck." As Nyx nodded his thanks and started walking towards the truck with a much calmer Noct in his arms, Ignis and Gladio stayed where they were and watched as the towers, one of the few things still visible from the distance, began trembling and listing sideways.

A furious growl brought their attention away from the unnerving sight, "Where is he?" It was Nyx's voice. Ignis and Gladio shared a horrified look before sprinting to join their boyfriend. "How could the kid have just gone missing without anyone noticing?"

The two arrived to see Nyx grab Noct by the arm, stopping him from running off while glaring daggers at one of the Insomnians. Gladio swore under his breath as they approached the group, Ignis noting the approach of the other glaives and his uncle.

"What's going on?" Ventus demanded as he came to stop beside the poor person Nyx was glaring at.

Noctis answered, panic clear in his voice, "Prompto's not here! He's in danger!" He finally jerked his arm out of Nyx's grip and turned to Ignis and Gladio. "We have to find him!"

"Noct..." Ignis whispered. There were few places where Prompto would have been able to slip away without being seen, and all of those were within the base. And they couldn't go back.

Noctis seemed to have realized what Ignis was thinking because he looked absolutely horrified at the heavy silence that followed his outburst. "We can't leave him!" He exclaimed.

"Noctis… Our priority must be seeing these people to safety." Ignis ground out reluctantly. He wished they could just leave the convoy in the hands of the glaives and return but between the obvious exhaustion that plagued them all and the daemon's presence, it was simply unthinkable.

Noctis was shaking, he knew that Ignis was right. He knew that the only place Prompto could be was back at the base with the daemon. He knew that they were all exhausted. He knew going back was foolish; even suicidal. But even so! Noctis couldn't just leave him behind without doing anything! Without even trying to save him!

A pain-filled howl surprised them all, breaking through the heavy silence that had settled over the convoy as Noctis argued. It had them all jerking around to stare at the source, the out-of-sight daemon wreaking havoc in the base.

As dawn began to peak over the edge of the the horizon, a dark cloud of darkness could be seen hanging over the base blocking its rays from reaching the daemon within. The ground shook violently as the howls began anew with increasing volume until they abruptly stopped leaving an eerie silence in its wake.

"Prompto..." whispered Noctis as he watched the dawn rise. He just knew it had to be him.

The cloud of darkness remained above the base for several seconds longer before it became a funnel that dragged it all towards a point out of their sight. This time when Noctis started running towards the Regalia, Ignis and Gladio didn't try to stop him.

"We'll bring the convoy towards the Slough!" Declared Crowe at their retreating backs. Gladio waved a hand to acknowledge the words before jumping into the back seat. Noctis had grabbed the wheel and he didn't wait for his companions to be completely seated before gunning the motor and turning the car back towards the base.

Noctis didn't slow down at all until they were inside the base, not even to swerve around the concrete blocks riddling the road from the daemon's rampage. He threw the car into park and jumped out as quickly as he could, barely managing to stay on his feet. He pushed the exhaustion aside and shouted, "Prompto! Prom! Where are you? Prompto!"

Noctis held his breath as he strained to hear any response from his boyfriend. Nothing. Noctis growled as he summoned a dagger and warp to a higher place. He repeated his call and warping several time as he searched for Prompto.

Ignis and Gladio were more careful as they got out of the Regalia. Ignis watched with a pinched expression as Noctis started warping around in his search for their missing sunshine. "We need to keep an eye on Noct. He is going to exhaust himself at this rate and pass out." He said softly to Gladio.

Gladio nodded tensely, "Got it." He looked around, teeth clenching as he spotted what remained of the enormous daemon they had fought and fled. The metal plates that had once been its armor were twisted into burnt ruins of its former glory. The ground around it was black with lingering decay though no mist rose from it under the sun's rays, the indicator of Scourge not present in this case.

Gladio stayed close to Noctis as the raven haired king warped around in growing desperation at the lack of signs from their youngest boyfriend. Ignis had gotten closer to the smoldering remains of the daemon's armor in search of clues that would give them an idea of Niflheim's plans or Prompto's location. By the time Noctis collapsed mid-warp, to be caught by a watchful Gladio, Ignis was quite certain of two things.

One, Prompto was alive and had been the one to destroy (perhaps absorb was the better word) the daemon. And two, Verstael Besithia was alive and creating more soldiers for Niflheim. Neither of those things were good news for the advisor as he walked over to the Regalia as Gladio helped Noctis lay down on the backseat.

Noct was trembling from both exhaustion and almost overwhelming worry about Prompto. There hadn't been any sign of him anywhere! Gladio was kneeling beside Noct's head, a hand firmly on his shoulders while the other gently massaged Noct's scalp in an attempt to calm him down.

Ignis looked at his boyfriends for a moment before he spoke, "Prompto is likely fine, Noctis. He would not be happy that you exhausted yourself like this." He moved around the Regalia to slide beside Noctis, a hand reaching to gentle grasp his boyfriend's.

Noct gave Ignis a exhausted glare, demanding, "How can you know that? He could be dying for all we know!" He gritted his teeth briefly but the action made his head pound even more and he quickly forced himself to relax his jaw.

Ignis used his thumb to rub soft circles on the back of Noctis' hand as he explained his thoughts carefully, "I believe Prompto is likely fine because of the distinct lack of Scourge from the remains of the daemon we fought earlier. He is the only person, other than Lunafreya, who can manage such a feat."

Gladio grunted his agreement, "We've seen him do it before." He caught Ignis' gaze with a worried one of his own as he kept the end of his thoughts to himself. Prompto may have done such a thing before but it had cost their beloved quite a lot of energy to control the daemon-eater that allowed him to do such things. And it did not give them any indication of where Prompto was now.

Noctis swung an arm over his eyes, he wanted to believe in Ignis' words. Wanted to believe that Prompto was alright but something in his chest, in the way his magic had reacted earlier that told him otherwise. Broken sobs clawed their way out of his throat.

Ignis' heart broke as he heard Noctis start crying, Gladio reacting to it quicker as he stood and pulled Noctis into a tight embrace while making himself comfortable in the backseat. Ignis joined the embrace for a few minutes as he and Gladio worked to help Noctis feel better despite the situation.

It didn't take long for Noctis to fall into a restless sleep, comfortable in Gladio's arms. Ignis sighed sadly as he pushed himself up with one last lingering kiss to Noctis' forehead."I'll drive us to meet up with the caravan." Ignis whispered to Gladio, careful not to disturb Noctis. "We should notify the hunters of this as well… And Lance."

Gladio winced as he considered the fact they were to meet up with Prompto's father by nightfall. He was not looking forward to telling the fierce father that Prompto was missing, especially since the man did not know about the mutation the Scourge within Prompto underwent after the Crownsguard initiation.

It took them about an hour to meet back up with the convoy as they had stopped by the curved stone pillars of Schier Heights. Ignis parked the car away from the noisy convoy, leaving Gladio to watch over their sleeping boyfriend, and made his way over to where he could see the glaives listening to someone just out of sight. It was Luna with Umbra at her feet, now awake though looking pale, tired and gaunt. She was talking on the phone with someone.

Ignis approached the group slowly, his ears listening in to the one sided conversation he could hear. "Yes...About 30 people...Most of the injuries have already been dealt with, those that remain are mostly minor... Thank you, I'll let them know….Yes, see you soon."

Libertus and Crowe spotted him at the same time, both frowning as they noticed the uneasy expression Ignis was wearing and the lack of a certain blond youth in sight. Crowe gave Ignis a wordless but pointed glare as he came closer and was noticed by the rest of their small group.

Luna smiled, an all to understanding look in her eyes, at Ignis, "He wasn't there." She said simply. Ignis shook his head, looking anywhere but at her.

"What? And you came back!" Nyx sounded outraged as he turned to glare at Ignis. "What the hell are you thinking?" Libertus shifted to place himself between Ignis and Nyx, a hand going to settle against Nyx's shoulder in an attempt to contain his friend's outburst.

Ignis winced at the sharp words, but met Nyx's angry gaze squarely, "We have a duty to see these people to safety and to see Noctis safe as well. Prompto was not at the base, though he had been there not long before our arrival." He took a deep breath, looking around to try and find his uncle. "We have much to do if we want to meet with Lance as planned."

Luna stood, somewhat shaky on her feet, "Lance will come to meet us at Longwythe." She paused then meet Ignis' gaze and added, "He already knows."

AN: This plot bunny did not want to leave so have some more angst as things get more complicated for the Chocobros.

Ramuh's blessing to the glaives was almost instantaneous movement for short periods of time. It uses the same principle as warping except it happens a lot faster and thus doesn't have the same nauseating effect (hence why the glaives take to it quickly even if it uses a lot more energy). Another big difference is that it has no real range limit except for sight. You can see it? You can now get to it.


	31. Chapter 31

Ignis felt guilty. He - they - had promised to take care of Prompto, of each other, when they had left Insomnia. And now…. Prompto was missing; Noctis was exhausted and losing weight much too quickly for Ignis' taste. Despite Luna's reassurance that Prompto would be alright and that Lance was aware of the circumstance surrounding Prompto's disappearance, Ignis felt like he had failed his boyfriends.

He was exhausted. Ignis glanced at the empty can of Ebony and sighed, a new one would not help him. He thanked his years working as Noctis' chamberlain while studying since it meant he could still function properly despite the exhaustion weighing him down.

He had been brought to Insomnia as Noctis' adviser at the age of six, with only the most basic of explanations on why and what was expected of him. Ignis was to help the future king with his duties. To him it had also meant taking care of Noctis' health, especially after the failed attempt on the young Prince's life.

Ignis glanced at the back mirror, Noctis was sleeping safely, cradled in Gladio's arms. He was pale with dark circles under his eyes and looking gaunt. As Noctis' adviser, he had always put Noctis as his priority. It was simply the right thing to do.

He loved Noctis with all his heart. He loved Gladio and Prompto just as much! But Noctis was not only his lover, but also his past and his reason for being. And he wasn't doing well enough.

Gladio ran his hand through Noctis' hair as he watched the landscape go by. He was exhausted. His body felt heavy and slow. He was sore but most of all he felt powerless.

Gladio gritted his teeth as he went over the fight against that giant daemon. He was supposed to protect Noct, to protect the people he loved and yet… He hadn't even been able to put a dent in that thing's armor!

Gladio looked down at Noctis sleeping peacefully, snuggled against him. He trailed a hand lovingly over his cheek, a thumb going over the dry and cracked lips with a soft touch. As an Amicitia, Gladio had been brought up as a living Shield for Noctis' sake. It was the only thing he had ever known.

He loved Noctis with all his heart. He loved Ignis and Prompto just as much but Noctis was not only his lover but also his future and his duty. And he wasn't strong enough.

Gladio closes his eyes, leaning against the window of the Regalia and thought, _how can I become stronger?_

Ignis tightened his grip on the steering wheel and thought, _I must keep them safe and well._

 _Noctis walked through his home, Carbuncle perched like an overgrown cat on his shoulders. The Citadel was quiet and dark with no staff bustling about to do one thing or another._

 _Carbuncle nuzzled his neck before a chime made Noct look at his phone._ _ **You're worried about something. Do you want to talk?**_ _Noctis sighed, he was worried about several things but mostly about Prompto._

" _Not really… Unless you know what happened to Prompto?" Noct grumbled as he pressed the call button for the elevator. He wanted to at least check up on Ravus, something he should have done early but that now was something he needed to do._

 _ **Your friend is safe and unharmed. The Glacian is keeping an eye on him.**_ _Carbuncle told him as they rose up towards Ravus' room. Noct frowned at the message, glancing at his companion puzzled. "Why would Shiva be helping Prompto?"_

 _Carbuncle gave his whistling laugh as his phone chimed again with the astral's answer._ _ **Shiva made a deal with Prompto's mom. It made Bahamut so mad that the beyond shook from his anger for days! XD**_

 _Noct stared at the screen in shock, Prompto's mom had made a deal with the Glacian? When? Why? Carbuncle's answer had only brought him more questions but at least Prompto had someone looking after him? Noct shook his head at the confusion the whole thing was causing._

 _He knocked on the door to Ravus' room within the Argentum's apartment, waiting for a few seconds before opening the door. Noctis lifted his gaze from his phone and froze._

 _Ravus was sleeping peacefully on the bed surrounded by plushies and toys. A tv was on but showing only static snow on the edge of the bed. There was someone with blond hair, black vest and pants sitting by Ravus' head, a gloved hand hovering over the platinum blond hair._

" _Prompto?" Exclaimed Noctis in utter confusion. He was answered when the person turned to stare at him with equal shock._

 _Blue eyes meet utterly black ones._

 _Daemon-Prompto opens his mouth and snarls as Carbuncle jumps at him. A flash of red light blinds Noctis. When he can see again, the room is empty except for him and Ravus, now awake and looking in confusion at Noct._

" _Noctis? Why are… Ah, I remember." Ravus frowns as he stands, eyes roaming over Noctis stunned expression. "Noctis?"_

 _Noct shakes his head and mumbles, "What's going on?" He feels a hand grab his shoulder and shifts his gaze to meet Ravus' concerned look. Noct sighs and leans forward to rest his forehead against the older man's chest. "Where do I begin?"_

 _Ravus frowned and guided Noct to sit beside him. He pulls the boy to sit on the bed carefully. Ravus had been able to follow his sister's travel through the television that Carbuncle had brought to him when he had asked about Luna. The last thing he remembers seeing was "You were going to check on something making noise after having rescued Ignis' uncle and Gladio's sister."_

The day passed by quickly despite frequent stop by the convoy as injuries were checked, drivers switched and people stretched sore legs. They arrived at Longwythe rest area around mid-afternoon and the locals were quick to help.

Noctis had woken up as they arrived, taken one look at Gladio and Ignis and ordered them to get some rest. Neither of them had the energy to argue, Gladio only getting Noct to promise to stay with one of the glaives and Luna before dropping into the closest bed and passing out with Ignis following close behind.

Noctis sighed in exasperation as he made sure his boyfriends were comfortable and warm before slipping out of their room to head over to the Crow's Nest to grab some food and talk with Luna. On his way, he stopped to chat with some of his citizens now that they were safe.

Luna was sitting in a corner with Nyx and Crowe flanking her while Libertus could be seen in the kitchen of the Crow's Nest. Noctis looked around as he walked; every bench was filled and the staff seemed overwhelmed by the amount of orders and people suddenly showing up out of nowhere.

"Noct! I'm glad to see you up." Luna greeted warmly, motioning for him to join them. Crowe grinned as she shifted sideways and tapped the bench beside her.

He sat down where indicated as he greeted the others, "Guess you all got some rest on the way here?" The nod from Nyx and the amused smiles Luna and Crowe shot the glaive told Noctis he wasn't missing something but he shrugged it off in favor of telling Luna about what had happened during his dreams.

"I went to check on Ravus and saw _that_ Prompto there with him." Noct declared bluntly. Luna jerked up straight, worry and terror visible in her eyes. Noct quickly reassured her, "He's fine! Carbuncle chased him off and I talked to him for a bit. He's been able to keep an eye on you with Carbuncle's help."

Luna gave a sigh of relief as she slumped back against Nyx. The two glaives shared confused glances as Nyx asked gruffly, "Okay, spill. What's going on with the kid? First his reaction at the base with the daemon and now this. Is he in some kind of trouble?"

Luna and Noct both winced, sharing a silent conversation of eyebrow movements and small shifts in expression. Finally Luna sighed and simply stated, "It's not something we can talk about here."

Before Nyx or Crowe could say anything, Pelna walked in and headed straight for their table. He had a serious look on his face. "Sir Lance is here." He announced to the table.

Noct jumped to his feet, demanding, "Where is he?" Pelna pointed towards the parking lot in front of the gas station. Noctis ran out, heading straight towards the old truck and the man that was talking with Ventus. He barely heard Luna, Pelna, Nyx and Crowe follow after him.

"Lance!" Noct called out as he approached. Prompto's father turned to look at Noctis with a calm and comforting smile on his face that made Noct's heart skip a beat.

Lance turned back to Ventus and whispered something to him. Ventus nodded, giving a thin smile to Noctis as he left. "Hello Noctis. I'm glad to see you safe." Those simple words almost break Noctis' composure as guilt, sorrow and shame wrap their web around his heart.

He takes a shuddering breath, locking the emotions away until they are alone and he can be just Noctis instead of the King of Lucis. Fow now he was surrounded by his people and needed to act accordingly. Noctis returned the greeting carefully, "As am I, Lance." He was about to invite Prompto's father to the motel when his stomach growled and he remembered belatedly that he hadn't eaten all day.

A peal of laughter reminds Noct that he had been followed and Luna's voice offers, "Hello Lance, why don't we speak at the diner? We had just ordered when you arrived." She smiled at Lance and Noctis with amusement twinkling in her eyes.

With Lance beside him, Noct returned to the dinner to find that the area around the table they had been sitting at had been emptied to give them some privacy. Noctis slid into his seat with Luna taking the seat beside him while Lance sat in front of them.

The glaives settled on the table behind Lance, acting as a physical barrier to ensure that no one approached them while they are and spoke. They waited for the food to arrive, served by Libertus, before speaking.

Noctis and Luna took turns telling Lance about what had happened since they had last talked with the older man. As Luna finished telling Lance about their plan to send those who had been arrested by Niflheim to Galahd, Noctis took a deep breath and apologized to Prompto's father. "Lance, I'm sorry. I should have kept a closer eye…"

He was quickly cut off by Lance, "It wasn't your fault. I'm certain you did everything you could to keep Prompto safe and to look for him when he disappeared." He gave Noctis another kind smile as he spoke reassuringly. "Prompto has a kind heart and has always been a bit reckless when it comes to protecting people he cares about."

Noct stared at Lance in shock. How could he forgive Noct so easily? He had been the one who dragged Prompto through dangerous situations over and over again. Luna reached out under the table and grabbed Noct's hand in a comforting grip.

He looked down at his lap. Prompto's father might be willing to forgive him, but Noct wouldn't be able to forgive himself until Prompto was safely by his side again.

Noctis took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before letting it out, replacing his guilt with determination. He looked up to Lance and stated, "I'm going to find him." He glanced over at Luna, giving her a quick, thankful smile before turning back to Lance and asking, "How are things in Insomnia?"

Lance leaned back, he was glad and relieved to see the determination that filled his son's boyfriend. "As I said when we talked, things in Insomnia have settled down somewhat. It's more of a stalemate than anything else but we're managing to keep Niflheim from causing too much trouble within the Crown City."

The people chosen by Niflheim to look over Insomnia since its fall were complacent and uncaring about what happened within the city as long as it didn't go against the new laws put in place. As such Lance and Luche had been able to organise safe areas and dig up ways out of the city should they be required.

The still-collared Crownsguard and Kingsglaives had settled into regular patrols, and had been able to prevent any rioting or looting from happening beyond what was caused by the few human commanders of Niflheim. The hardest thing seemed to be keeping everyone from reacting to the lies and blatantly hateful propaganda that could be seen all over the city.

The arrival of Niflheim within the city had certainly put to rest most of the xenophobia that insomnians had held for refugees, now that they had a common enemy to turn their anger and frustrations against. Not that it stopped it all. Some of the more vocal groups of xenophobes had joined Niflheim, hoping to use their military might and power to force out the refugees from the lower city.

Lance growled distastefully as he told Noctis and Luna about the attempts at making the patrolling glaives lose their temper, or trying to trick refugees into stating their dislike of Niflheim in an attempt to give their new rulers a reason to treat them like a threat. So far they had been able to prevent such incidents from reaching the commanding officers, but tempers were growing shorter with each new attempt from the hateful group.

There was also a major concern about the production of the Scourge cure, as Niflheim had stopped all public production and confiscated all the reserves of it in any form throughout Insomnia. The official reason for it was the threat it posed as a possible weapon against their army, a good reason since it was one; but the resistance had heard rumors it was actually because the Emperor wanted to turn the Cure into a stronger version of the Scourge for use in their military.

The invaders had conducted a very thorough search of the city for any drop of the cure, even finding three of the warehouses that Navalus and Lance had created. It left them with only four to draw on to fight the daemons that now plagued the city at night and those would not last long if Niflheim decided to be more aggressive.

Noctis frowned as he listened to Lance give his report of the situation. He was glad that Niflheim had not decided to simply kill everyone in the city after their invasion, but it felt like they hadn't done so for a reason; and Noct was certain he would not like the reason why when they found out. "What about evacuating the city completely? Is it possible?"

Lance shook his head, "No. We found out that the collars they put on the guards and glaives are set to explode if they go outside of the city limits. I fear that they might start putting those on average citizen should we start evacuating large numbers of people all at once."

Nyx growled as he slammed his hand on the table, "Those bastards don't give a damn about anyone but themselves! Has anyone found a way to take them all without them blowing up?"

Lance shook his head once more, "No. We've tried looking into it but it would appear only General Glauca, the Chancellor, and the Emperor know how to take them off safely. We confirmed that early on."

A heavy silence filled the air at the news. Noct rested his chin on his hands as he considered what he should do. It was obvious that the situation in Insomnia could not continue as it was for long. Soon, something would happen and Niflheim was bound to jump on the excuse to do whatever they were planning.

Insomnia needed to be retaken and quickly.

Noct wasn't too worried about the armed forces within the city. He trusted the glaives and guards to be able to fight them off if given the chance, especially if the very city rose to fight Niflheim off. Finding a way to allow that to happen would be hard but at least he had a good starting point.

"Perhaps your informant can help with finding a way to take the collars off? Or at least get us the blueprint so we can figure it out ourselves." Noctis said softly. Lance looked surprised at the suggestion.

Noct continued, "If we want to retake Insomnia and the rest of Lucis, we need to ensure that we can disarm those collars before the fighting starts. You said your informant has access to communications within Niflheim's army so maybe they can also get us a blueprint." He met Lance's gaze squarely, "When and where are we meeting them?"

"It's up to you to decide when but it will be at the Vesperpool." Lance answered.

Noctis looked out of the window to his people, tired and injured from their ordeals. The faster they could take down Niflheim, the better for everyone. "Tomorrow then." He looked over to Luna and asked, "There is a haven there, right?" Luna nodded.

"Good, then if we say that we will meet them tomorrow at 4 in the afternoon, it should give us plenty of time to get everyone to safety before going to meet with them." Noctis declared, and plenty of time to find Prompto, he added mentally.

Lance nodded his understanding before he got up. "I'll go call them then." He quickly left the dinner.

Noctis slumped down on the bench, turning to Nyx he asked, "Did you manage to talk with your uncle?"

Nyx nodded, "Ya but the news isn't good. Niflheim has been raiding there for the last week. The damage isn't extensive, but they're busy fighting them off and can't help us for now.I doubt that it's a safe place to send these guys." He jerked his thumbs in the general direction of the trucks and the people milling around outside.

Noct passed a hand over his face. He needed another nap. "So where do we go now?" He got no answer from any of them.

Noct left the dinner with some food for Ignis and Gladio. The sun was setting, dying the sky a beautiful orange, one that would have sent Prompto scrambling to find the perfect spot for pictures of the sunset. Noct paused to look at it with a pained twinge of his heart. He missed Prompto.

As he made his way back to the hotel room, Noctis suddenly heard a dog bark. He turned to face the direction it came from and saw a white dot moving quickly towards him. Noctis barely had time to kneel down before Pryna jumped to greet Noctis with several dog kisses that left him covered in drool.

Noct grimaced as he pushed her away from his face, and reached for the letter that was attached to her collar with a confused frown. Why would Pryna have a letter if Luna was right here with him?

He opened it up quickly and read through it with mounting disbelief. Noctis scrambled back to his feet, forgetting about the food for his boyfriends as he ran the rest of the way to their room. He threw the door open with a resounding bang, startling Gladio and Ignis awake.

"I know where Prompto is going to be!" Noctis shouted, waving the letter clenched in his hands. He hurried over to Ignis, thrusting the piece of paper into his adviser's hands excitedly.

Ignis blinked the sleep out of his eyes and focused on the letter. He saw Gladio approach to read over his shoulder from the corner of his eye and shifted to accommodate the bigger man.

 _Hey guys,_

 _First of all, I'm okay! Sorry I just disappeared like that but Daemon-me was about to make a mess because it was really hungry and I had to get away from everyone before it happened._

 _Anyways, it took a while for Daemon-Me to calm down and I kinda passed out as soon as it went to sleep so I'm not sure where I am right now._

 _Don't worry though! Pryna is here and she'll be able to help me find my way to the Vesperpool like the note she had said to do._

 _I'll see you there soon I guess._

 _Love,_

 _Prom_

Ignis and Gladio looked in stunned silence at the picture that was attached to the bottom of the letter, a selfie of Prompto with Pryna overlooking a snow covered cave entrance of some sort.

A/N: Merry christmas and happy holidays for those who don't celebrate it! I'm going to be rather busy until New Years but I might be able to upload a new chapter before then. If not I will after New Years.

Comments and kudos make for perfect gifts :)


	32. Chapter 32

Ignis and Gladio were soon brought up-to-date as Noctis dragged them back out to let Luna, Lance, Ventus and the four glaives know about Prompto's letter. Pryna was quite happy to be back at Luna's side; barking happily before settling by Umbra's side to eat while they all discussed what they would do next.

The immediate problem was where to settle the convoy of injured Insomnians now that Lestallum was under Niflheim's martial law. As ideas were thrown around, Ignis kept an eye on his uncle. Since his rescue, Ventus had been acting strange; flinching whenever Niflheim or Lestallum were brought up.

It was very concerning for Ignis to see his uncle, a man he had always looked up to for his kindness and honesty, looking guilty and worn out by whatever he had suffered at the hands of the Niflheim soldiers. A gentle touch to his leg returned Ignis to the present conversation with an apologetic murmur.

Crowe grinned and repeated herself, "I was saying that we could separate them into smaller groups and have them each go to one of the smaller town or outpost temporarily. Smaller groups have less chance of being noticed, after all."

Ignis hummed thoughtfully before he gave his opinion, "That is very true. Perhaps we can get the hunters to assist us in escorting each group to a town? We certainly won't be able to do so in time for our meeting tomorrow." He looked over at Lance and Ventus in search of their opinion on the matter and saw them both nod in agreement.

With their main concern settled, the discussion turned towards handling the details of how to separate the thirty-odd people, and where to send each group. It was another hour before details were finished and they all retired to rest. Gladio went to check on Iris, still asleep in their room, before he walked up to Ignis and hugged him, whispering "What is it?" with the sound of Noctis' shower a soothing background.

Ignis sighed, relaxing his weight into Gladio's arms, "It's just…My uncle is hiding something. He's been flinching every time Niflheim or Lestallum is brought up. He looked so guilty back at that base when we got them out and… I don't know, I just feel like something is wrong and it's something important that I, we, should know."

Gladio hummed as he listened to Ignis speak. He stayed silent for a few moments after his boyfriend was finished before he suggested, "If you feel that it's important, then maybe you should go ask him." Gladio kissed Ignis' cheek softly before stepping back, "Just remember that he went through something traumatic, and we both know how that can affect someone."

Ignis sighed, his shoulders slumping forward at Gladio pointed comment. "Maybe…" He hoped it was just some sort of survivors guilt, as awkward as that might seem. "I'll go check on him quickly." He turned and gave Gladio a thankful kiss before leaving their room.

His uncle was staying in a room three doors down from theirs. Ignis walked over and knocked, stepping back as the door opened to someone he recognized as an archivist from the royal library. The archivist smiled, "Hello Ignis, are you looking for your uncle?"

Ignis nodded and the archivist pointed towards the edge of the parking lot where a lone figure could be barely seen against the night sky. Ignis thanked the archivist and walked over to his uncle side. "Uncle?"

Ventus gasped, twirling around to stare at Ignis with fear in his eyes for a few moments before recognition crept back in and he relaxed. "Ignis, you scared me. Is everything alright?" He gave Ignis an hesitant smile.

Ignis frowned at his uncle's reaction and stepped up beside him. He took a careful inventory of his uncle; the dark bags beneath his eyes, the way his eyes darted around them without truly meeting his own and the way he kept returning to stare at something past the horizon. "Uncle… I believe that should be my question." He took a deep breath and pushed on, "I couldn't help but noticed that you have been rather… shall we say on edge? Since we found you."

Ignis watched as his uncle paled at his words. For a few seconds he considered stopping right there but decided to push on a little more, "I am aware that you have been through something hard and horrible, uncle, but you are not alone. I am here should you wish to talk." He waited in silence, looking at his uncle drag a trembling hand over his face.

Ventus took a deep, shuddering breath. His hands shook as he dropped them back by his side and turned to face his nephew. "I…" Ventus stopped, teeth clenching together harshly.

Ignis stayed silent as he watched his uncle struggle. Ventus turned away from Ignis, eyes blinking furiously to keep the tears at bay, nails digging into his palms until he finally could breathe again without breaking apart in front of his nephew.

"I…" Ventus took a deep breath, turning back to face his nephew, "I wasn't strong enough." He forced himself to look at Ignis even as he told him about his betrayal of his oath. "They… I told them about the Cure, about Sylva and… about Prompto."

Ignis stared at his uncle, his heart breaking at his tone and his words. He kept his expression blank as his uncle spoke about what he had told the Niflheim soldiers who had tortured him. When the older man started apologizing, Ignis stepped forward and hugged his uncle as tightly as he could.

"Uncle. I'm glad you survived." It was the only thing Ignis could say to him and know that it would reach his uncle properly. The trembling hands that gripped the back of his shirt and the wet patch on his shoulder were more than enough proof they had. Ignis stayed there, watching the stars and holding his uncle in his arms until the older man straightened to wipe his eyes.

Ignis looked away politely as his uncle got a hold of himself, turning back only when Ventus cleared his throat. Other than bloodshot eyes, Ventus looked as calm and composed as Ignis remembered envying as a child. Ventus smiled wanly. "I apologize for putting you in such a position, Ignis. I will tell His Majesty about this immediately."

Ignis smirked, "Perhaps it might be best to wait until the morning? Noctis is most likely asleep and you need your rest as well." Ventus looked bemused as he slowly nodded his agreement to Ignis' proposal.

The next morning began, for Noctis at least, with Ventus Scientia submitting himself for the Crown's judgement for his betrayal of his oath. Ignis had discreetly told Gladio and Lance about the matter after bringing his uncle back to his room to rest, telling both men the general situation without going into much details, and asking they be present when it happened.

Luna had taken Iris to breakfast with her, and the glaives were busy getting the groups ready to leave with a few hunters as guides. It left them fairly certain that they would not be interrupted while Ventus confessed to Noctis what had happened at the base, and Noct came to a decision about what to do.

Noctis kept an expressionless mask on as he listened with growing anger to Ventus speak about what he had revealed to the Niflheim soldiers, including General Glauca, while they threatened the safety of the Insomnians they held.

He was careful not to clench his hands as he heard Iris had been the one threatened the most often during the few days she had been held there.

He was careful not to let his eyes widen in shock as he heard the guilt Ventus unfairly placed upon himself.

Noctis waited until he was certain that Ventus was done speaking before he reacted. He looked to Gladio, his body tense and looking to Noct for his orders, and Ignis, appearing unconcerned and composed unless you noticed the concerned slope of his posture, before finally speaking.

"Ventus Scientia." Noct paused for a moment to organise what he wanted to say. "You have broken your oath to the Crown and giving its enemy information that could seriously harm the citizens of Lucis." Noctis stood up and walked three steps closer to the kneeling advisor. "You failed to inform the Crown of your failure." He took one more step and snapped his hand sideways. The familiar weight of his engine blade came to rest in his palm.

"For your failures and your betrayal of Lucis, I, Noctis Lucis Caelum, will now pass down judgement before these witnesses as per our laws and traditions." Noctis brought his blade to rest against Ventus' neck. "For the crime of of breaking your oath to the Crown and putting the good people of Lucis in harm's way... you are hereby ordered to speak with a counselor or therapist-" Noct barely managed to restrain his smile to a twitch of his lips as Ventus' head snapped up to stare at Noct in utter shock and disbelief, "-and to take care of yourself until you are fit to return to your duties as advisor to the Crown."

"But...I…" Ventus stammered.

Noctis grinned, returning his engine blade to the armiger, as he cut Ventus off. "You put the safety of the people before your own, Lord Scientia, as you were ordered to do." He knelt down, clasping the man's shoulder and added, "For that you have my thanks and a commendation waiting once Lucis is ours again."

Noctis squeezed Ventus' shoulder once before getting back up, extending a hand to help him up as well. "Okay! Unless there's something else we need to discuss -" He glared, half mockingly at Ignis, "- I'm starving. Let's go join Luna and Iris for breakfast."

The atmosphere at breakfast was much lighter than last night's supper, with Luna, Iris and the four glaives sharing gossip about the small convoy. Once they were done, Lance went over the plan once more before they left.

Gladio had taken Iris aside to discuss what she wanted to do,and to no one's surprise; she insisted to go with Noctis and her brother to meet up with the informant and hopefully Prompto. It was a tight fit with Lance and Iris joining Noct, Gladio and Ignis in the Regalia; but they managed to fit everyone in after some rearranging.

Luna, Nyx, Crowe, Libertus and Pelna were following the Regalia in a van borrowed from one of the Longwythe inhabitants. They drove through the southern roads, keeping a careful eye on the sky as airships were still patrolling in the region though whether the Nifs were aware of their survival was another question all together.

The two cars pulled to the side of the road as they entered the Vesperpool area where the solid ground started to give way to the marsh. Noct got out of the Regalia with a relieved sigh as he stretched his sore back carefully. They were a bit early, but looking at the tangled mess of a forest and swamp, Noct figured it was better that way.

"So where exactly are we meeting up?" asked Libertus, nose wrinkling in disgust as he stepped out of the car right into a puddle of mud and dirty water. He turned and helped Luna jump down to the other side of the puddle as he waited for directions from Lance.

Lance took his time to look around, checking something on his phone before gesturing towards a small, barely visible path that started between two weeping trees. "If we follow that path for 15 minutes or so we should reach a clearing. That's where we'll meet my informant." Lance turned to Noctis, clearly waiting for him to decide how to proceed.

Noct grimaced as he looked down the path, it was clearly muddy and parts of it would undoubtedly be under water. Which meant water in his boots and Ignis muttering about cleaning the mud off their clothes. He looked around to the others: Luna surrounded by Nyx, Crowe, Libertus and Pelna; Gladio standing slightly behind him with an arm around Iris' shoulders and Ignis standing to his right with a resigned look in his eyes as he eyed the muddy path.

"Should we leave the cars out in the open like that?" suddenly chimed Iris; frowning as she looked at the very flamboyant Regalia, its red paint a beacon in the midst of all the brown and green that surrounded the area.

There was a moment of silence as everyone wondered why they hadn't considered such a glaring detail before Libertus sighed, looking at Crowe with a shrug of his shoulders. "We can try and see if there are enough branches to cover it properly?" He offered hesitantly.

Crowe scoffed and eyed the car with a wicked glint in her eyes, "That won't work Libs. One, it would take too long and two, there is no way we'd be able to be certain the wind wouldn't shift something while we're gone." She turned to Noct with a wide smirk, "Easiest way to hide the car? We put mud all over it." She cackled at the outraged expression Ignis and Noct sent her way. "What's the matter princeling? I don't hear any better idea coming from anyone else."

"But…" Started Noct before trailing off into a sullen silence. As much as he hated the idea of dirtying his dad's car, Noct couldn't think of a quick way to hide the Regalia that would be almost guaranteed to work no matter how long they were gone. He turned to look pleadingly at Ignis only to be met with a shake of the head. Noctis sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat as he muttered, "Fine but you're all helping to clean her after, got it?"

Luna smiled serenely at Noct before swooping down and grabbing a handful of mud, throwing it past Noct and laughing at his shocked expression when the mud splattered across the door with a squelch. Crowe whooped and followed her lead, with Iris joining in right behind her. Noctis stood back, refusing to watch as the Regalia received a mud bath from the ladies and Nyx; with Ignis and Gladio by his sides.

Fifteen minutes later, Nyx summoned some fire to his hands to cook off the mud clinging to him, Crowe doing the same, while Luna and Iris walked to the edges of the path to rinse off their hands the best they could. Noct glanced at the Regalia, instantly regretting it as he saw the brown lump that was in its place. "If you're all done?"

He glared at Crowe's amused smirk and started down the path Lance had indicated, Ignis and Gladio flanking him. As he had feared, the path was muddy, each step a struggle against sticky mud and sudden water traps that quickly made the short walk become an arduous task. Instead of a mere 15 minutes, it took the group half an hour of trudging through the Vesperpool swamp before they reached a clearing.

Lance nodded to himself as he indicated a dark blue, almost purple, ribbon wrapped around an exposed root of a rotting tree. "This is the right place." He checked the time and added, "We still have a few minutes before they arrive but I would suggest staying close. The beasts in the area are rather aggressive."

Noct nodded absentmindedly as he walked towards the only patch of dry ground and plopped down with a relieved groan. Luna joined him there as he took off his boots, grimacing as he emptied them if the water they had picked up during their trek. She chuckled lightly as she copied him, "Not the best place to go for a walk."

The disgruntled king glared at her in exasperation as he repeated the procedure with his other boot before gingerly putting them back on. "A walk Luna? Really?" He ignored the laughter that answered him in favor of lying down, stretching his arms above his head with a small groan of pain as his back told him how unhappy it was with the last few days of running around.

Luna reached, her hand glowing slightly as she pressed it to Noctis' side. She smiled at his look of surprise and shook her head when he frowned, worried about her health. They stayed like that, comfortably soaking up the thin rays of sun that emerged from the clouded sky until a low growl had them scrambling back to their feets.

Gladio and Nyx were by their sides almost instantly, pushing both of them away from the source of the growl as it emerged from the underbrush and stalked silently towards them. Thin whiskers crackling with lightning moved gracefully as the mud streaked white coeurl scented them and growled again.

"What is a coeurl doing in a swamp?" Pelna asked in disbelief as he and the rest of the group summoned their weapons and got ready to fight.

Nyx replied flatly, "Don't know, don't really care right now." He shifted his grip on his kukris, gauging where he should warp to in order to take it down quickly.

A warning from Ignis followed, his voice low and calm, "We should stay on our guard. It would be quite strange for a coeurl to be…"

"Fulminis!" a voice, smoky and sharp, called out from the opposite side of the clearing. Libertus, Crowe and Iris whipped around to stare at the woman emerging from among the trees.

To the onlookers surprise the coeurl gave a plaintive sound as he sat down on the muddy ground and tilted his head sideways while looking past everyone to the newcomer. A glare from the woman and the coeurl got back up, yawning in a way that reminded Noct of the stray cats he used to feed in Insomnia, before walking around the edge of the clearing to come to a stop beside her.

The woman patted the coeurl and gave him a scratch behind the ear as she addressed the stunned group with a prideful and amused grin. "So… you wouldn't happen to have lost a cute blond photographer lately? Answers to the name Prompto?"

"Hey! Don't make me sound like a lost pet, Indica!" Prompto's voice startled them a second time within a minute. The woman, Indica, laughed gleefully as she stepped to the side and allowed Noctis to see a pouting Prompto push aside a branch while he took a picture of the coeurl with his camera.

"Prom!" "Prompto!" The shouts filled the clearing and Prompto responded with a laugh, grinning as he ducked past the fierce-looking lady and waved at his boyfriends, friends and family.

Noctis barely managed not to run and hug the living stuffing out of the smiling blond, not wanting to risk any hint of a possible weakness in front of whoever the lady was. Instead he grinned at Prompto before turning to her and asking, "And you are?"

Indica grinned, "The name is Indica Musicus and this here," she patted the coeurl's neck, " is my partner Fulminis. I got asked to take you to see my boss; so come on and don't get lost." She didn't wait for an answer before swinging onto the coeurl's back with ease, a previously unnoticed saddle serving as a seat for her as the coeurl rose and started moving towards the right of the clearing.

Noctis exchanged stunned glances with Ignis, Nyx and Gladio before turning to look at Lance with a silent question in his eyes. Lance shrugged as an answer, turning to take a measured look at his son, shoulders relaxing as Prompto grinned and gave him a quick hug.

"We should get moving," Prompto suggested as he moved to follow Indica. Another round of confused glances later and Noct did just that, walking up to be beside Prompto and intertwining their hands loosely together. Prompto gave Noctis a blinding smile, squeezing his hand quickly before he whispered softly, answering the looks of concern that were being directed towards him. "I'm fine."

Nyx frowned and, after a few minutes of silence while they followed after Indica, asked annoyed, "What in Ifrit's name happened to you, Kiddo?"

Prompto rubbed the back of his neck, an embarrassed blush adorning his cheeks as he answered, "It's kind of a long story?" The unimpressed look all four glaives shot him made Prompto wince. "It is!" A pout returned to his lips, Prompto looking down at his feet for a few moments before sighing. "Short version is that I don't really remember what happened after the daemons attacked the base and Pelna brought me to Luna."

Noctis listened intently as Prompto recounted how he had woken up late yesterday afternoon in a small cave up on Ravataugh mountain, the entrance covered in a sheet of ice that broke when he touched it. He found Pryna waiting for him on the other side, a small note attached to her collar with instructions on where to go and when, as well as a blank sheet of paper and a pen for Prompto to write with.

Prompto had decided to trust Pryna and had written the note Noctis had received, attaching the picture to try and calm the worry he knew the others would have. The note had told him to wait until dawn before starting down the steep mountain side, something Prompto had completely agreed with, and so he had slept the night away in the cave before starting the climb down.

Prompto had barely started when he had spotted the white coat of Fulminis in a distance. He had hoped to get close enough to grab a few pictures of the coeurl but had instead stumbled across Indica's camp site. The woman hadn't seemed surprised to see Prompto, inviting him to join her for breakfast and asking about his father.

He had been cautious at first until she had pulled out a short wave radio and called her boss, who had given Prompto one of the safe codes Lance used with his informants. "And then this airship came to pick us up. So here I am! I figured I'd come pick you up with Indica since they're still checking if the coordinates are real." finished Prompto as he walked backwards facing his friends.

Lance chuckled, reaching out to ruffle Prompto's hair. "So you already told them what you were after?"

Prompto nodded, "Yup! I figured it'd be faster if I did."

Ignis cleared his throat and asked, "My apologies Prompto but what exactly did you tell them?" He looked a bit worried.

Prompto grinned, looking over his shoulder quickly before answering, "Nothing too detailed. I asked if they could get us where the airship that we saw leave the base landed and a list of locations for all the prisoners that Niflheim took after the treaty was finalized." He shot Ignis a confident grin before adding, "And they did! Aranea just wanted to double check one of the locations since she said it was somewhere close by."

Prompto whirled around as Indica's voice rang out, "We're back! And we bring royal company!"

The path ended at the edge of a ruin, an airship resting in the knee-high waters across from it and a table set up on some jutting dry ground. A tall woman in elaborate and impressive armor turned to look at the group with a self-confident smirk. "About damn time! I was wondering if you'd gotten eaten." Aranea Highwind exclaimed.

A/N: And we have our mysterious informant. The ten year drabble will explain how she met Ravus and Lance and why she became an informant.

Indica Musicus and Fulminis are OCs of BarefootBassist :) A small and fun thanks for being such an amazing editor and friend.


	33. Chapter 33

Nyx swore under his breath as he recognized the resistance fighter in front of them. A quick glance to his friends told him they also remembered her. Aranea's gaze swept over them, a glimmer of amusement telling them they weren't the only ones who remembered their first encounter. Nyx stepped closer to Luna; he wasn't going to allow the woman to cause any trouble this time.

Aranea turned away from the glaives and focused her attention on Lance, Prompto. and the other three men with them. She grinned and motioned them over with a hand as she turned back towards the table. "I just got confirmation on the coordinates. Come on and take a look." She called out without looking back.

Prompto's eyes widened, "Really? So where is it?" He grabbed Noct by the hand and dragged him over to the mercenary's side. The rest of the group followed after them at a slower pace until they were all spread around the table looking down at the world map lying on it.

There were several small pins spread across Eos, most of them within imperial territory though a few were scattered across Lucis, Accordo and Tenebra. Aranea smirked as she reached out to tap the pin on the Tenebraen coast, "Here."

Noctis frowned, turned to Prompto and asked softly, "I thought you said she said it was close?" Prompto shrugged with a light shake of his head.

Aranea reached out and poked Noctis to grab his attention, "It's only a few hours flight. That's not far at all Pretty Boy." She ignored the shocked look that crossed Noctis' face to return her attention to the map. "Blondie over there said you were interested in the Sublimis Fuga."

Ignis interrupted, "Sublimis Fuga?" He met and held the mercenary's amused gaze with his own.

Aranea grinned, "A beauty of a ship. It's the biggest functional airship built by the Empire to date but it's slow and cumbersome." Ignis gave a hum of understanding at the explanation. "It's scheduled to reach this base in 16 hours where it will drop off some cargo before refuelling for the next 24 hours."

"What about the base itself? Do you have anything about it?" Lance asked her. He raised his hand when Nyx and Gladio both started to open their mouths, likely to question how trustworthy Aranea was. "And what about the other bases used to hold prisoners from Lucis? Prompto told us he had asked about them as well."

Aranea nodded at Lance's question and replied easily, her arms crossed and hip cocked to the side. "Niflheim doesn't keep a lot of prisoners, and where they do depends on what value they have for the Empire's conquest." She tilted her head in the direction of the Kingsglaives and continued, "Anyone who can use the Crystal's magic is sent to either of these two places." She tapped the two pins in the mountains east of Gralea.

She then pointed to a pin near the now-provincial border between Tenebrae and Niflheim, "Any political prisoners or any criminals with ties to nobility are sent here." She pointed to the one on the island south-southeast of Gralea. "And here is where they send anyone who they need alive but doesn't fit anywhere else." She straightened and sighed, "I've heard rumors of another base that is used exclusively for daemon experimentation, but otherwise that's all the information I can give you."

There was a heavy silence that filled the air as everyone contemplated what exactly this meant before Lance prompted softly for Aranea to continue. She did so with a understanding look in her eyes. "Sublimis Fuga's refueling point is the one 'official' Niflheim-only base within Tenebrae's borders. The Empire decided to take over the Oracle's," she tilted her head towards Luna, "traditional recovery home and made it and the town around it into a military base as a statement almost a decade ago."

Luna took a shuddering breath at the news. She remembered the deep green forests, the glistening blue lakes and the unusual warmth of the sun's light as it rose above the hills around _that_. She leaned gratefully against Nyx when he shifted closer, his face pinched with worry. "I remember the place. Are you aware if they made any change to the manor there?"

Aranea met her worried gaze with her own amused one, "They tried." She shook her head as she explained her amusement. "Their last attempt to remodel the manor and the city ended with a 2 month long snowstorm restrained to the base itself. That was years ago so I'm sure the layout is about the same as what you remember."

Luna nodded slowly, her lips twitching slightly in amusement. She had no doubt who was responsible for the snowstorm. She refocused on the conversation when Aranea spoke up again, this time addressing the rest of their group. Aranea had taken out a new map, one that showed Tenebrae in more details.

"The base includes the town, here, and serves mostly as a waypoint for troops going to and from Niflheim controlled territory. It's staffed by intelligence officers and older soldiers who aren't fit to fight any longer," she stated as she circled an area by the northern coast of Tenebrae.

Aranea kept up her explanation, giving them all the information she had at her disposal about the base and its security. The security was composed mostly of the older models MTs, the ones that were deemed too vulnerable to the Scourge cure to be sent to the front lines.

Since the base was a converted town and within a territory, the security was rather weak compared to the ones they had come across in Lucis. Of course that would change the moment the Sublimis Fuga arrived, as the airship was filled with soldiers, engineers, and the newest models of MTs which would add to the bases security while it was there.

"Then our best option would be to move quickly while they have not yet bolstered the base's security." Ignis muttered under his breath, his curled hand hovering in front of his mouth. He raised his head to met Aranea's gaze, "How long would it take to reach the base on your airship?"

Aranea replied quickly and confidently, "Five hours. Maybe six if we have to move around some of the storms out there." She cocked her hip sideway and grinned, "What are you planning Glasses?"

The nickname was unexpected and Ignis bristled at its sound. He peered at the smirking mercenary with narrowed eyes promising retribution as he explained his idea, "Sublimis Fuga is only arriving in about 16 hours, correct?" Aranea nodded her confirmation. "Then that leaves us plenty of time to arrive before they do and set up a trap."

Noct hummed and added, "It's also plenty of time to finish getting Ramuh's blessing." He looked over at Lunafreya and asked, "Are you feeling strong enough to finish the covenant?" He was worried about her; the knowledge of how costly each covenant was weighed on his mind.

Luna smiled gently at Noctis. "I will be fine." She ignored the concern radiating from her friends, her family, as she reassured Noctis that she could do her duty.

Noctis nodded and turned back to Aranea. "Can you bring us to the Malacchi Hills and then to the base as quickly as possible?" He took one look at the deadpan gaze Aranea was giving him and quickly added, "We'll pay you for your troubles."

Aranea didn't answer right away. Instead she turned to look at Lance with a bland expression that betrayed nothing. There was a silent struggled between Lance and Aranea before she turned back to Noctis and answered him. "Fine, but I have conditions."

Noctis nodded solemnly. The mercenary laid it out. "One, you tell me who you're looking for and don't tell me you aren't; it's pretty obvious. Two, my boys and I will see you to the base but I'm going in with you." She raised her hand to stop the protests from starting. "I have my own reasons for wanting to go there so we might as well help each other. So? What do you say?"

Noctis frowned as he listened to Aranea. They needed her help if only because it was the only way to arrive in Tenebrae in time to save Cor and possibly Ravus. He cast Ignis a glance and found his adviser meeting his glance with the slightest nod. He turned back to Aranea, "Agreed."

Aranea grinned and twisted her head to shout over her shoulder. "Boys! We've got a job to do!" The clearing came to life instantly. Men and women ran around to pack bags or check the airship. Aranea nodded to herself, satisfied and returned her attention to the King of Lucis. "So spill, who are you after?"

Noct hesitated for a moment before answering, "We believe that Marshall Leonis and Commander Nox Fleuret are being transported somewhere on the Sublimis Fuga."

Aranea tensed up at the news. "Ravus got caught? And the Immortal too?" She frowned and demanded, "Ifrit's ass! Why didn't I hear about this before? When did it happen?" She slammed her hands on the table and glared at Noctis.

Gladio brought an hand in front of Noct protectively as he flinched back at the sudden movement. "Hey! Calm down!" He growled warningly at Aranea. She merely shifted her glare from Noctis to Gladio.

"Miss Highwind, I would appreciate if you were to calm down." Lance drew their attention as he spoke in a sharp and firm voice. "Ravus was captured when Insomnia fell. As for Cor, he was taken less than a week ago."

Aranea straightened to her full height when Lance finished answering her. She glared at the older man for a moment before turning away from the group to gather her thoughts. Gladio dropped his arm back to his side but kept his eyes firmly on her back as the silence continued uninterrupted.

Finally, as Prompto shifted awkwardly and sent worried glances between his father and Aranea, she spoke up, "I need to let the Resistance know about this. I suggest you get prepared for the trip. We're leaving in half an hour." She walked away towards the airship without glancing back.

Prompto watched her walk away with growing confusion and turned to his dad. "What is this Resistance she keeps mentioning? I tried asking her and Indica but they just grin and walk away." He was a bit relieved that he wasn't the only one confused as both Luna, Noctis and Gladio nodded.

Lance sighed, "I don't mind explaining but it would be best to find a more appropriate place to discuss this." He looked around and pointed towards the ruins, "Let's go there to talk. It should keep us out of the way while giving us some privacy."

It didn't take long before they were all sitting on crates or borrowed chairs under a crumbling arch, waiting for Lance to speak. "The Resistance is a group that showed up about a decade ago, during the time that Niflheim fell into disarray…"

"After Mom rescued Luna and Ravus?" Prompto wondered out loud. Lance nodded his confirmation.

"Yes Prompto. Sylva… She got her hands on some documents while we were staying at the manor and used it to cause some dissent among Niflheim's ranks. It was much more effective than expected." Lance scoffed in sad amusement at the antics his wife had loved to do. He cleared his throat and returned to his explanation.

"In any case, the Resistance emerged as the Empire fought itself. Initially, it was one of the smaller groups of fighters that were against the war and Niflheim's expansion policy; but somehow it grew and absorbed many other such groups during the unrest. When Iedolas finally regained control of the Empire, the Resistance slipped back out of his sight but continued to work to disrupt and overthrow him." Lance explained as simply as he could.

Noctis frowned, "Then Aranea is part of this Resistance?"

"Ya. She and her troops are one of the Resistance's main contact within the army." Nyx answered before Lance could say anything. He pushed himself off the slab of rock he had been using as a chair and took over the explanations. "We Glaives had regular contact with several parts of the Resistance over the last few years. Still haven't found any clue on who the hell is their leader or how they're finding their information but they've helped a lot."

Gladio glanced to Ignis, who seemed unsurprised by the information being discussed, and sighed. "So the enemy of our enemy is our friend? At least for now." Lance nodded once more.

Noctis groaned, head dropping between his hands. He stayed quiet for a moment before lifting his head and looked between Ignis, Lance and Nyx with a reproaching and exasperated look in his eyes. "Fine. Anything else I should know about? Because if we head to Tenebrae and I find out that one of the… I don't know, doormen, is actually working for Lucis then I'm going to get rather angry at all of you."

The three men had the decency to look embarrassed. Nyx raised a hand to scratch the back of his neck while looking everywhere but at Noctis. Lance cleared his throat and shared a shameful look with Ignis before they both gave Noctis a short bow and apologised.

Aranea's voice interrupted any further discussion as she called for them. "Oy! Time to get your asses moving! We're leaving with or without you lot!"

Noctis sighed and looked around to the group that had followed him this far. Even Iris, who had stayed quiet all of this time, was now looking determined and waiting for his instructions. He got up and nodded as regally as he could, "Let's go save Ravus and Cor."


	34. Chapter 34

Luna had expected many things as she followed Nyx into the dorm room, but a feast was not one of them. She looked over her shoulder at Aranea, who met her confused look with a shrug and an explanation. "The Resistance reminded me that magic is a huge energy drain on their users. Figured that since we'll need every advantage we can get to pull this off, I'd make sure you were all properly fed."

She closed the door before Luna could reply, leaving them all in a somewhat confused and concerned atmosphere. Luna turned back to look at the food for a few seconds before reaching out and taking a bite of the garula tenderloin.

"Luna!" The exclamations of surprise and worry came from everywhere around her. She hummed appreciatively, "What? It's rather good and I am hungry." She stepped around Nyx and starting piling a plate full of food before sitting down on a bed.

Noct hesitated for a moment before shrugging and following her lead. Two days of somewhat decent meals were not enough to erase the lack of good food the week preceding it. When Iris grabbed her own plate with Lance right behind her, the glaives and crownguards shared exasperated looks and did the same.

The meal was eaten in comfortable silence as the roar of the airship's engine and the soft rumble that followed told them they were on their way. Luna watched her companions carefully as they ate.

Nyx kept glancing at her, his eyes filled with worry. Crowe and Libertus leaned on each other, watching each others backs while keeping an eye out for any trouble. Pelna was standing by the window, his eyes wandering through the room.

Gladio is with Iris, sitting between her and the door. Ignis sits by Noctis, keeping an eye on the vegetables he managed to put on the king's plate. She smiles as she spots Lance and Prompto sitting side by side comfortably. Seeing the blond again, seeing him alive and unharmed was a great relief.

Luna finished her plate, warm and content though still feeling the strain of the covenants. It's a small price to pay and one that Luna pays willingly in return for Noctis gaining enough strength to fulfill his destiny. She pushes away the tinge of sadness that threatens to fill her whenever she thinks of what is yet to come.

Luna can only hope that the Scourge has been weakened by the Cure, weakened enough that Noctis' final sacrifice would not be final. "Luna?" Nyx voice whispers and she hurries to reassure him.

"Yes Nyx?" Luna answers, meeting his eyes while she puts away her empty plate. Nyx doesn't say anything as he simply stares at her. Her heart twinges in pain as she sees the worry and love he bears for her. He isn't the only one. If Luna were to look at any one of them, she knew she would see the same concern and love, though perhaps a different kind, reflected in each of their gazes.

Instead of doing so, Luna kept her eyes solely on Nyx and waited patiently for him to speak. Nyx seemed to struggle with himself for a while before he finally asked, "You said you knew the area where we're heading to after meeting with Ramuh. What can you tell us about it?" Luna could tell that wasn't what he had initially wanted to say.

The question from Nyx was an important one nonetheless and Luna hummed thoughtfully on how to answer. The group waited patiently for Luna's answer and she did her best to dig up the few memories she had of the resting manor of the Oracle.

"I only went there once with Mother. There had been an outbreak of Scourge somewhere and Mom had gone out to deal with it. I remember her coming back looking the sickest I have ever seen her before-" Luna stopped, the memories were easier to deal with after so much time but it still was easy. "-before the attack on our home." She felt Prompto place his hand over her knee and squeeze softly. She gave him a quick smile.

"We spent a week there while Mom recovered. The manor there is much smaller than back home but had the same kind of layout. The town itself was quite different though as it was a resort town. The lakes were surrounded by this beautiful white sand beach with almost constant high waves that were perfect to splash in." Luna couldn't help the smile that appeared at the memories of spending hours in the water with Ravus.

Luna shook her head slightly and returned to the topic, "If, as Aranea said, the town and manor hasn't changed then it will not be well guarded. The streets are wide and center on the manor, the houses are old and were kept that way as part of the attraction though modern necessities were added. I'm afraid I don't remember much more than that." She finished with an apologetic smile.

Nyx shrugged, Highwind had given them plenty to work with earlier. He was simply glad to note Luna didn't look as sad as before. The intercom turned on and Highwind's voice announced, "We're arriving at Malacchi Hills. Whatever you're planning on doing, you'd best start getting ready for it."

Luna squared her shoulders, taking deep breaths to center herself before nodding to Noct. They all followed after the Oracle and the King into the hanger and then out into the soft rain that covered the hills.

Noct smirked. "Guess Ramuh was watching us." Luna smiled fondly at him before walking a few steps forward and summoning her trident. The golden light gathered in her hands and she sighed softly as the familiar weight of her trident came to rest in her hands.

Luna tilted her head towards the gathering clouds, the thrum of the Astral's power was calling to her already. She threaded her magic into the trident and sang, calling for Ramuh to answer her and complete the ritual they had started.

The Fulgarian answered, his power sweeping through Luna and leaving her weakened once more. Purple lightning streaked through the sky as it had before, though this time with a great crash as it struck a cliff side just out of sight. Luna was only barely aware of this as she collapsed to her knees panting.

Nyx swore as he dove past Noctis to catch Lunafreya before she passed out. "Luna?" He asked frantically, shifting her more comfortably into his arms and looking at her pale face with increasing worry. Noct dropped beside him, a potion already in hand and ready to be used.

The glaive grabbed it and crushed over Luna, sighing in relief when a bit of color returned to her cheeks. He lifted his head and met Noctis' worried gaze with his own, catching sight of the rest of the group gathered around looking just as worried as he felt.

Noctis looked up at the unseen last monolith then glanced over his shoulder at the airship and Aranea, who was watching them from the hanger ramp. He returned his attention to Nyx, "Please take care of her. We will go get Ramuh's blessing as quickly…"

"The hell is going on over there? Is the princess alright?" Aranea shouted from her place.

Noctis sighed and hovered over as Nyx got to his feet with Luna in his arms. He followed them as they returned to the airship and the mercenary. "Lunafreya has exhausted herself. She and the glaives-" He hesitated then added, "-as well as Iris and Lance will remain here until we return."

Aranea raised an eyebrow and drawled, "And here I thought we had a schedule to follow." She straightened and shrugged. "Your call if you want to run around like a bunch of headless chocobos. If I were in your shoes I'd just use this lady-" She knocked on the metal hull with her knuckles. "- to get where I needed to go quickly. But hey, you're the one paying for this." She shrugged again.

Noct stared at Aranea even as several people (Prompto, Ignis and definitively Crowe if he knew them at all) chuckled at her comments. Nyx shouldered past him, his worry pushed aside for the brief moment it took for him to tease Noct, "Well would you look at that? Someone with some common sense! Finally."

Noct glared at his back even as he told Aranea, "You're right. It would be much easier if you could bring us to where we need to go. Is it possible?"

Aranea grinned and slapped him on his shoulder, "You're the one who can warp. You tell me. Come on, let's get this show on the road so we can get to Tenebrae on time." She sauntered into her ship.

Prompto leaned against Noct, his chin coming to rest on his shoulder as he said, "She's awesome, isn't she?" He gave Noct a quick kiss on the cheek before hurrying up the ramp along with the rest of the group. Noct grumbled under his breath but he couldn't really complain. As long as they could get Ramuh's blessing and get to Tenebrae in time to save Ravus and Cor.

Ramuh's lightning guide pointed into a small hole through the rockcliff. It was too small for the airship to land in but, as Aranea had stated, it wasn't very hard for Noct to warp into the greenery filled hole.

Noct braced himself as he reached out to touch the dead wood. Despite having done this twice before, it was still very uncomfortable to feel stuck in his own body as Ramuh's power entered it. Noct staggered back as soon as he was able to, his breath coming to him in pants. He took a few precious seconds to regain his focus before warping back to the airship.

Ignis rushed him to the dorm room as soon as he returned, letting him know in no uncertain term that Noctis was to rest. Noctis allowed Ignis to tuck him in, the exhaustion of finishing the covenant with the Fulgarian quickly pulling him under.

Ignis sighed as he watched Noctis practically pass out from exhaustion. He had always known that using magic and being granted the favors of the Astrals would exact a toll on his beloved. But to see it eat away at Noctis and being unable to do anything to prevent it? Ignis shuddered.

He checked on Noctis and Lunafreya one last time before making his way to the other side of the hall. Ignis arrived just as they were about to figure out their strategy.

"How is he?" Gladio asked softly, glancing through the open door to the dorm.

Ignis' expression was pinched tight as he answered. "He is exhausted. We should allow them to rest as much as possible." They all nodded in agreement.

Nyx sighed and asked, "So how should we do this?" He motioned to the glaives, Crownsguards, Aranea and the two civilians in the room with them. "Taking over the base shouldn't be much of a problem for us but we don't have the strength to take down the Sublimis Fuga when it arrives."

Gladio moved over to stare at the map splayed across the table. Nyx was right, dealing with the old MTs and the soldiers stationed at the base wouldn't be a problem. "The base doesn't have much in terms of defenses, which is good for us when we go in. On the other hand, it'll work against us if we have to hold it against Niflheim."

Aranea scoffed, "So what? We wait until the Sublimis arrives? That'll make things worse since they'll have enough people to cover all the weak points." She leaned back against the wall as she spoke.

The comment plunged the room into silence as each of them contemplated what they could do. There was a distinct slump in most of their shoulders as they tried to think of a way to complete their rescue.

Iris shuffled over to the map and gazed at it with great curiosity. She hummed, looking at Aranea as she asked softly, "Where do they get their water from?"

Aranea looked at the young Amicitia with narrowed eyes but answered her just as quietly. "They pump water from the lakes from what I know. There is a water treatment plant on the edge of the lake itself."

Iris nodded thoughtfully, "Is it well defended?" Aranea shook her head which made Iris grin widely. "And just to make sure I understand everything properly, the main reason the Sublimis is landing there is to refuel and resupply right?" Aranea nodded again, straightening as she followed the young girl's train of thought.

She wasn't the only one as Crowe spoke up, "If we can poison their water supply then we could take them all out and not even have to fight any of the soldiers. We'd only have to deal with the MTs and we can do that." The mage grinned fiercely at that.

Iris shuffled awkwardly, seemingly deep in thought before she raised her head and stated, "I think we might not even have to do that..." She hesitated for a moment before forging on, "I was able to grab some Vaccine from the base as we escaped. Can't you use it to deal with the MTs without fighting them?"

She got her answer as Gladio picked her up in a hug, "You're amazing, Iris!" He dropped her back down.

Lance nodded. "With the Cure, we can make anti-scourge bombs and such with ease."

The atmosphere in the room became hopeful and they each set to work on something for the length of the flight. Lance, Prompto, Iris and Pelna used the few vaccines Iris had grabbed to create a coating for their weapons, a few large area bombs of diluted Cure and even a single flask of prepared Cure that could be added into a rain cloud.

The rest of the glaives, Ignis and Gladio followed Aranea as they checked for supplies to create a working poison that would work in low doses and in a decent time frame. By the time Ignis excused himself to wake Noctis and Luna up, they had everything planned out and ready.


	35. Chapter 35

Sublimis Fuga ETA- 9h

Ignis followed Pelna's lead as they snuck closer to the metallic box standing alone and unprotected a few meters up the lake beach. The base's main water treatment plant could be seen a few hundred meters away; the only signs of life being a few of older model MTs standing guard by the lonely entrance to the plant.

Ignis kept an eye on the unmoving soldiers while Pelna worked his technological prowess behind him. A quick glance at the interior of the box showed countless wires of different colors and thicknesses tangled together with Pelna wrist deep in it.

The plan was for Pelna to attach a external wireless computer to the system that ran the water treatment plant's alarms and testing. This would allow them to drop the sleeping agent into the water system without it being detected.

Ignis looked around; it was a nice place and he could see why it had been a resort before Niflheim had taken over. Even in the late hours of the night, the lake glistened beautifully under the sliver of moon.

A glint of metal caught Ignis' gaze; he turned slowly and peered at it. Ignis nodded as he read the message being flashed. "Aranea and Nyx are on their way into town. Iris and Lance are going to start the diversion soon."

Pelna nodded. "Good, I'm almost done here. We can head back to the airship as soon as I'm done." Ignis shifted his gaze from Pelna back towards the MTs, relieved to see no change in their position.

Fifteen minutes later, Pelna was closing the box with a satisfied nod. Ignis extended a hand to help the glaive up, nodding to Pelna as he shared the satisfaction of a job well done.

The next half hour was spent making their way back to the airship, avoiding the few daemons moving around the lake. The base lit up as the distraction, initiated by Iris and Lance, kept the soldiers attention away from them. Away from the split second of static as Pelna checked his work.

The satisfied look in his eyes told Ignis it worked. They could now control all of the computerized systems of the water treatment plant.

Sublimis Fuga ETA-8.5h

Iris kisses Gladio on the cheek before hurrying over to Lance's side. She kept a firm grip on the bag slung over her shoulders, its burden a heavy weight against her side.

Lance smiled at her. "Let's go." Iris nodded determinedly and fell into step behind him. The night was clear with only the local wildlife and daemons meandering about.

Lance led the way towards the far side of the base, his path carefully determined for ease and stealth. He kept his pace to one that Iris would be able to maintain for a long time without being tired.

They came to a stop at the edge of the lighted area, Lance raising a fist to warn Iris as he swept the area carefully in search of the perfect spot. There were a dozen guards in sight but only 2 of those were not MTs.

Lance shook his head in dark amusement. Niflheim had never understood that while rigid robotic soldiers were great in the frontline, they were often unreliable as guards or lookouts.

"MTs are one of the worst guards possible." Lance leaned over to whisper to Iris. "They follow orders too rigidly to be effective. See?" He pointed at the MTs as they started moving in a very predictable patrolling pattern. Lance whispered each route to Iris and smiled as she stifled a laugh.

Iris listened to the minutiae Lance was saying. She tracked the movements of the daemonic guards, quickly becoming able to predict their movements. The youngest of the Amiticias found herself scanning the area critically before interrupting her companion, pointing at a patch of tall dry weeds. "Should we put them there?"

Lance followed her outstretched finger and found the same patch as she had. He glanced at the bright anti-daemon lights then back at the tall weeds. He contemplated the suggestion for a moment before nodding. "Yes, that will be perfect." He reached out and ruffled Iris' hair gently. "Good job."

Iris beamed at the almost paternal gesture.

They moved closer to the patch of weeds, keeping to the shadows. Lance pointed out where to put the packets from Iris' bag, and took care of connecting the wires to an old analog timer.

Once it had all been placed and connected properly, Lance asked Iris to double-check everything. Iris did so carefully, running her fingers along each wire until they connected to the timer. Only once she had checked and confirmed everything seemed in place did Lance put the timer for 10 minutes.

Lance sent Iris first, keeping a careful eye on their surroundings as she made her way back. He followed soon after, pausing only long enough to check the timer one last time.

Ten minutes passes quickly when you're running away from a distraction that was bound to bring a lot of attention to the area. Lance grabbed Iris and pushed her against the ground as the night sky light up in a rainbow of colors.

Sparkling greens met neon yellows in streaks of colourful fire. The pops and crackles of fireworks startled birds into flight and made daemons howl all around them. Iris twisted in Lance's grip and stared at the brilliant display of lights in the night sky.

Lance glanced over his shoulder, watching the fireworks cause the distraction they all needed to carry out their plan. They didn't stay prone for long as Lance hurried to help Iris to her feet and push them both into hurrying back to the others.

As they were about to lose sight of the base, Lance looked back at the walls and frowned. _What in the…_ Lance came to a sudden, faltering, stop.

Iris took a few steps before realizing Lance wasn't following her anymore. She turned to look at Prompto's dad and frowned. His eyes were focused towards the base, his mouth moving slightly as though saying something. "Mister Lance?" She said softly.

Lance shook his head and turned back to Iris with a strange expression. She frowned and asked, "Are you alright?" She walked over and placed a hand on his arm gently.

Lance glanced over his shoulder again before nodding slowly, "Yes. Yes, I am." He gave her a smile tinged in sadness before adding, "Shall we?"

Iris nodded, looking back at the base to try and see what had grabbed his attention but seeing nothing other than the expected response from the soldiers, MTs and base personnel. Whatever it had been, it was now gone.

Sublimis Fuga ETA- 7h

Nyx admired Aranea's silent movements through the darkened streets of the base. Despite wearing high heels and a decent amount of metal, the mercenary jumped from rooftop to rooftop as silent as a hunting coeurl.

The streets below them were half filled with old soldiers, bureaucrats and the occasional patrol of MTs but none of the Niflheimans looked upwards at all. It allowed Nyx and Aranea to make their way without any trouble towards the first of three cafeterias.

Nyx warped into the empty kitchen and unlocked the window for Aranea. The Dragoon slipped in silently and motioned for Nyx to follow her through the empty place towards a series of large refrigerators.

"Here." Aranea indicated the left most fridge with a waving hand. "That one should have the meats to be used during the week." Nyx nodded and opened it carefully.

Glass bottles clinked softly in their shelves, the light from within casting Nyx' face in sharp contrast as he leaned in to look at the various ingredients settled inside. "Damn, Ignis would kill to get his hands on some of the stuff in here."

Aranea chuckled from across the kitchen. She was shifting through some papers with growing interest. "As much as I'd like to make Glasses break his composure, taking anything from there is going to be raising red flags. They have a list of everything!"

Nyx huffed "Over-controlling, paranoid morons" before returning his attention to the fridge. A twitch of his hand saw the prepared poison appear in his palm. "Did you find anything about the breakfast menu?" He asked while contemplating how to effectively poison the incoming crew of the Sublimis Fuga.

Aranea flipped through the papers quickly until she found what they wanted. "Got it! Breakfast for the Sublimis Fuga crew, excluding the on-board watch, is set for 4am. It's a buffet so scrambled eggs, sausages, ham, bacon, pancakes, hash browns and the like." She frowned as she lowered the paper and glanced around the kitchen. "We won't have enough if we have to hit all three kitchens and poison all those things."

Nyx closed the fridge with a scowl, Aranea was right. He looked around the kitchen dissatisfied with the way things were unfolding. Should they risk not getting all the crew and only poison some of the foods? Should they poison everything until they ran out of it and hope for the best?

No… Nyx walked around the kitchen, looking at all the different utensils and spices available. Libertus had said something about what a good cook always added to food but he couldn't remember it! His eyes came to rest on the most reoccurring spice and he grinned.

"The salt," Nyx grabbed the shaker gleefully, "everyone uses salt! If we poison that then we can get everyone easily." He watched Aranea light up as he wrenched the top open and found the large bin of salt used to refill the shakers under a sink.

Nyx quickly emptied part of the salt and replace it with the poison while Aranea gathered the many shakers spread across the kitchen. She left Nyx to the tedious job and settled by the door to keep an eye out.

Nyx made certain to shake each shaker before placing it in a growing pile of poisoned salt shakers. It took some time to check he hadn't missed a shaker and to replace all of them in the right places.

They repeated the procedure in the other two kitchens, moving through the base by the unwatched rooftops. Aranea kept watch while Nyx did the actual poisoning of the salt before they moved on.

As they finished off their part of the plan, Nyx and Aranea headed towards the landing zone. The rooftops stopped several hundred meters short but it didn't faze either of the experienced soldiers as they slipped into the underground pathways Luna had said would be empty.

Aranea whistled as she landed on the cement floor. The curved walls were filled with familiar carving that shone with the Oracle's power. She twirled around impressed, "No wonder Ravus' sister told us they would be safe. The MTs wouldn't be able to come in here at all."

Nyx nodded as he joined her below the streets. "Luna did say Oracles came here to rest and recover. It would make sense for such a place to hold some kind of protection against daemons." He inspected the walls carefully, smiling gently as he spotted the markings Luna had explained before their departure.

Time to get some rest and get ready for the fight.

Sublimis Fuga ETA- 5h

Prompto and Crowe watched the result of the fireworks from the edge of the lake. Soldiers were moving around where the fire had been started and contained, only embers left glowing in the night's darkness. A box by their feet held the filter that would add a moderately strong anesthetic into the water supply.

Prompto crouched on the ground morosely, his chin coming to rest on crossed arms. He stared across the lake at the scurrying figures running around to put out the fire. "Crowe?"

"Yes Kiddo?"

Prompto stayed silent for a moment before he said, "When you saw Uncle last time, did he look okay to you?"

Crowe looked at Prompto sharply, frowning deeply as she replied, "As far as I could tell. We didn't stay around for long after being rescued." She dropped down beside Prompto. "Why do you ask?"

Prompto didn't look at her. "Uncle has been hiding something since the failed treaty. Even after Noct gave him an elixir, Uncle seemed injured. He was even wearing a glove in Lestallum!" He gritted his teeth together as he closed his eyes tightly against the tears pooling there.

Crowe sighed and gently tugged the young man into her arms. The Marshall was such a fool sometimes. "He'll be fine. The Marshall is much too stubborn to die and no matter what kind of injury he might have, Luna and the Princeling will be able to help him."

Prompto leaned into the hug while nodding numbly. He hoped they would be able to help but something told him otherwise. After all, if Uncle thought they could help then why didn't he say something?

They stayed by the lake shore until Crowe finally shifted and said, "Time to move. Let's get this filter in place then we can head back." She slapped Prompto's back and rose to her feet, turning to help Prompto up as well.

Prompto checked the far shore, seeing that the last embers were out and the figures were slowly retreating behind the wall except for a few patrolling MTs. He turned to Crowe and asked, "Will you be okay?"

Crowe grinned confidently as she peeled off her glaive uniform layer by layer. "As long as Pelna doesn't screw up and forget to turn off the pumps while I work." She was left in a thin black undershirt and her underwear. Crowe stretched her arms carefully above her head before crouching to check the bag once more.

"Filter, screwdriver, ties, magic flask and… Okay." She lifted the bag over her head and readjusted it until it was set comfortably across her chest and against her hip. Crowe turned to smile at Prompto, chuckling slightly at how nervous he seemed. "It will be fine Kiddo. Just keep an eye out for trouble and I'll be back before you know it."

Prompto took a deep breath and steadied himself before he met Crowe's gaze and nodded. "Be careful." He said simply. He watched as Crowe turned and walked into the water without hesitation.

Prompto was left alone with his thoughts and worries as Crowe dived under the surface and disappear from sight. He bit his lower lip and took his phone out quickly. The message he sent to Ignis was short and to the point: _**Crowe's on her way.**_

He didn't wait for a reply before slipping the phone back into his pocket and replacing it with his gun. The crescent moon was giving off enough light to illuminate the lake and parts of the shore but it left deep pockets of darkness beneath trees and bushes.

Prompto found one such pocket and sat down in it comfortably. He watched carefully as Crowe's head popped out of the water for a brief moment beside the pipelines of the water system before diving back under. He watched as MTs patrolled the area with single-minded focus and shivered as the daemons called out to _him_ as they moved closer.

Prompto frowned deeply with each call, something had happened that day in the base. Daemon-Prompto was both louder and much quieter since then. Prompto frowned, it was hard to figure out what had changed exactly but it had.

As he kept an eye on the area, Prompto tried to figure out what it was. As he swept over the lake it came to him, since staring down the Diamond (he didn't know why he knew it was the name) Daemon-Prompto had seemed more separated, less part of him than before.

Prompto tilted his head back with a sigh and looked at the star filled sky above him. He didn't know what that meant, this new separation between the one who had been born of his blood and Noct's magic, and himself. One thing was certain though, he needed to let the others know soon.

Crowe emerge from the lake, prompting Prompto to get up and hurry over to her side while summoning a towel for her. Crowe nodded her thanks as she took it and dried herself as quickly as possible.

"It's done. Now we just have to wait for the Sublimis to arrive." She declared confidently. Prompto sighed in relief and exchanged the clothes in his hands for the towel.

Sublimis Fuga ETA- 2 minutes

Noctis, Gladio, Ignis and Prompto stood together in front of Aranea's airship in the early hours of the morning. Their eyes were glued to the large airship currently making a very slow descent within the walls of the base.

In less than an hour the crew of the ship, except for two dozen guards, would be served breakfast. Half an hour later, all those who had either drank the water or eaten would fall asleep. Fifteen minutes after that, Nyx and Aranea would start taking out the MTs by the Sublimis while they got (and fought if needed) their way in

"Wait a bit longer Uncle, Ravus. We're coming to save you now." Prompto's words were whispered into the wind, a promise he would keep no matter what.


	36. Chapter 36

Time passed in the blink of an eye. Prompto held his breath as Crowe, Pelna and Libertus warped up the wall and disappeared from sight. He sighed and relaxed as the gate opened within minutes and Pelna motioned for them to hurry over.

The base within was quiet but for the sound of machinery in the region. It made for an eerie contrast to the sight of sprawled guards on the ground where they had collapsed from the poison.

Crowe and Libertus were waiting for them, Crowe talking softly on the phone as Libertus was searching the guard captain for anything useful. She raised a finger towards the group as they entered and spoke some more before hanging up.

"Nyx and Aranea are about to start clearing the remaining guards around the Sublimis." Crowe told them as she approached. "Aranea is planning on heading off to look for whatever it is she's looking for once the way is clear. Let's hurry up before she leaves Nyx by his lonesome."

Noctis nodded and started walking towards the landing strip without looking at any of the fallen guards. Ignis, Gladio, Luna, Iris and Prompto were quick to go after him but as Libertus rose, several card keys in hand, he noticed that Lance wasn't moving from his position.

"Lance? Is everything alright?" Libertus asked, frowning as he took a few steps towards the older man. He noticed the rest of the group stopping and turning to look to the person concerned.

Lance wasn't looking towards any of them at all. Rather his sight was set towards the manor whose roof was seen slightly above the rest of the town. When Libertus called out to him, Lance turned towards the glaive and shook his head slightly. "There is something I need to check here. I will meet up to you as quickly as I can."

Prompto stared at his dad and demanded, "What? Why?" He took a step forward but Gladio reached out and grasped his arm gently, holding him back.

Lance gave a sad smile, "I need to check something I noticed earlier. I'll be careful so you'd better take care of yourselves!" With that, Lance gave a small wave and walked away quickly, taking a small path between the wall and the guards' outpost.

Prompto stood shocked at his dad's sudden departure for several seconds before being able to shake the surprise away. He turned away and forced his thoughts away from worrying about his dad to what they had to do to save Uncle and Ravus.

"Are you alright, Prom?" Ignis whispered, a warm hand coming to rest against the small of his back. Prompto relaxed into the touch and nodded. His boyfriends shared a concerned glance before Noct simply shrugged and started walking again.

They didn't encounter any trouble as the group walked through the near-empty streets. The glaives had gone a bit ahead to ensure their route was safe; leaving the four boys, Luna and Iris to walk at a slower pace.

Luna looked with great sadness at the changes, shocking machinery and Niflheim flags, that tainted the town. She turned away from what once had been a lovely Altissian-style restaurant. It had been turned into a food storage unit, the once-colorful displayed painted door now ruined by years of nailed lists.

She was thankful as Iris slipped to her side and started talking about what she was going to do once they were back to somewhere safe, wherever that might end up being. Luna smiled and nodded, answering Iris' dreams with her own hopes of a future.

With the glaives clearing the way and because of Iris' masterful idea, it took only a quarter of an hour to make their way to the Sublimis Fuga. The large airship loomed large above their heads as they met up with Nyx and Aranea.

The dragoon grinned as they entered the landing strip. The empty husks of MTs littered the sides of the ramp and the area around it. "About time you got here. I leave the Hero with you." Aranea jerked her thumb over her shoulder, pointing it at Nyx, as she turned to leave.

Noctis chuckled and answered, "Thanks for the help. We'll see you at your ship later." She didn't acknowledge the words beyond a casual wave. He shifted his attention back towards the Sublimis and considered how to proceed from there.

They had no idea how many soldiers had been left behind to guard the ship and anything on board. Nyx and Aranea had dealt with the MTs and guards outside of the airship, but they hadn't risked entering or triggering an alarm.

Ignis approached Noctis and came to a stop beside him. "Our best option is to find where they are holding Ravus and the Marshall before deciding what to do." There were several nods of agreement from the glaives and Gladio at Ignis' suggestion.

Noctis sighed and nodded, "Alright then. We sneak into the Sublimis and find a computer Pelna can use. We'll guard him until he finds where Ravus and Cor are, or until we find where to go to get that information." He gazed around and smiled as he saw how determined they all were, even Iris.

Libertus sighed and muttered, "Guess I'd better clear the way," as he summoned his weapon and used it to cast his invisible barrier over him. The hidden glaive walked up the ramp, careful not to make any noise, and passed through the two MTs keeping guard on either side of the entrance.

The hangar was enormous. Libertus bit back a hiss as he took in just how much military power was currently resting in front of him. The entire power plant of Lestallum could be easily put inside of the hangar! There were neat rows of carrier airships filling it and what space was left had been filled with crates and wires.

He looked around the area carefully. The walkways were out in the open above the smaller ships and in plain sight making them unusable. There! There was a small path off to the side between the wall and some crates.

Libertus looked around once more but that small passage created by the crates seemed like their best bet. He moved silently through the open area, his body tense and his senses on edge as he did so.

It took quite a bit of finagling through the wires before Libertus managed to emerge on the other side. The path had lead him to a empty area about the size of a small room. There was a few boxes laying around and… Bingo! There was a lonely-looking computer panel set against the wall.

Libertus quickly checked to see if it was functional and sighed in relief when it turned on easily. The screen was cracked in three places and it responded sluggishly to Libertus' touch, but it _was_ functional; and more importantly, connected to the rest of the Sublimis' network.

Now he simply had to return and find a way to distract the guards without triggering any alarms.

Libertus returned to the waiting group with ease and quickly made his report. He described the hangar, its guards and the small passage he had found with the prize at the end. Thoughtful silence followed his words.

Noctis crossed his arms and considered the problem. While Libertus' invisible barrier allowed him to move unseen, it was limited in range and thus couldn't be used for the rest of them. They didn't know what orders had been given to the MTs and clone soldiers left behind. A distraction, no matter what, might cause an alarm and that would put Ravus and Cor's lives in danger.

Crowe proposed, "We could electrify the hull. It should disrupt the MTs' electrical systems and let us go through unnoticed."

Ignis shook his head, "That would also disrupt any electrical system in the area. It would be easily noticeable and would raise the alarm instantly."

Crowe countered, "It would likely affect the alarms too and shut them down."

Prompto scooted closer to Iris, listening as Crowe and Ignis started to debate how to infiltrate the ship with the occasional suggestion from others. "Is it just me or does that sound like they're over-complicating things?" He whispered conspiratorially to her.

Iris hid her chuckle behind a hand and nodded. They both turned to look at the numerous uniforms left behind by the destroyed MTs and the immobile bodies of human officers nearby. With a shared nod, the two youngest members of the group walked over and started picking the most appropriate uniform for their use.

Once dressed, Prompto sent his clothes away and quickly scrounged up another uniform before walking back. He thrust the grey and white clothing towards Ignis and said, "Why not just use the uniforms?" The reaction he got, particularly from the glaives and Luna, made him flinch as the color drained from their faces.

"P...Prompto?" Crowe stammered as she stared at him. When Prompto had gained their attention, she had been so surprised by his similarity to the clones used by Niflheim, that she had summoned a lightning spell to fight. She wasn't the only one.

Nyx had his kukris out and even Pelna had his short sword in hand before they had realized it wasn't a clone, but rather Prompto in a stolen uniform. Libertus hadn't pulled his daggers out but he had taken a step in front of Noctis, his hand half-raised to summon a barrier before the realisation had hit.

Nyx allowed his kukris to fade as he stomped over to Prompto and hissed, "What were you thinking? We could have killed you!" He wanted to yell at Prompto but it was impossible for now, so he settled for glaring at the young man while trying to slow his heart rate down.

Prompto took a step back, head ducking down in guilt. "Sorry. I just…. Never mind." He sighed guiltily and handed Nyx the uniform without another words.

The guilt ridden expression sent daggers into Nyx's heart and made him feel guilty for being so harsh. Prompto had just wanted to help after all. The glaive sighed and reached out to ruffle Prompto's hair gently. "Sorry for losing my temper. You scared me."

They shuffled awkwardly for a bit before Ignis stepped forward, took the uniform from Nyx's hand and measured it against the glaive for a minute. "This one will be a bit too small but I am certain we can find a uniform that will fit." He looked around and hummed thoughtfully, "I shall be able to make any modification necessary to ensure a perfect fit."

Ignis' words released the tension left over from the incident and sent the others looking for a uniform that fit them. It took about 15 minutes for each to have found a uniform, whether that of a previous MT or of a human soldier. Ignis was able to quickly modify the uniforms to fit.

Concealed as Niflheim soldiers, entering the Sublimis became child's play. Noctis led the way, carefully ignoring the guards, and followed Libertus' direction to find the small passage that led to the unused computer panel.

They didn't enter all at once but within a few minutes, they had all managed to make their way to the empty space. Pelna didn't waste any time getting to work, bypassing the login security feature to access the information files directly.

Time ticked by in long, agonizing moments until Pelna relaxed and declared, "I think I found them." The declaration led to everyone rushing to crowd around him, their expectations clearly written on their faces.

Pelna chuckled and activated the printing function, the click of machine as it printed two maps a backdrop to his words. "I can't confirm who is where but I was able to find the location of their prisoners." He waited for the first map to finish printing before continuing, using the map to show the locations.

"Niflheim seems to have created some kind of anti-magic field and are using it in two specific areas. One is here-" He circled an area of 15 rectangular shaped rooms on the 8th floor. "- and the other is here." He shifted his grip and circled a smaller area of 5 rooms connected to each other on the 19th floor.

Ignis suddenly had a pen in hand and he circled the areas Pelna had shown them, leaving two bright red circles against the black and white map. Pelna nodded and handed it to the advisor, grabbing the second one and leaving it on his knees.

He continued, "From the reports and notes I could access, I found that a prisoner was brought up to the 19th floor location several hours ago and never returned to the 8th floor. The other is still in his cell on the 8th floor." He looked around and finished. "They only have the two prisoners so one must be the Marshall and the other the Commander. I just have no way of finding which is which."

Luna took a deep breath, her eyes locked on the map in Ignis' hands. She let it go slowly and said, "I'm going to the 8th floor. Ravus should be unconscious and somewhat safe if what Carbuncle and Ardyn are truthful. So that should be him."

Prompto nodded to himself; her reasoning made sense. "Then I'm heading to the 19th floor." Noctis moved to closer to his boyfriend and grabbed his hand gently. His message was clear, he was going with Prompto.

Ignis cleared his throat and said, "Very well, we should decide who will go where, and how long do we give each other before regrouping." He looked around uneasily.

Iris spoke up, taking a step forward as she did. "Why don't we let luck decide? Or rather the Astrals?" She quickly grabbed a blank piece of Pelna's map and ripped it into smaller pieces. She also grabbed the pen Ignis had and quickly jotted down several things before turning back to the group.

"Here. Pick one! If you have a piece with a dot on it then you're with Luna! Completely blank and you're with Prompto!" Iris chirped as she went around, pushing her paper filled hands towards each until they had taken a piece.

Luna smiled as Gladio, Pelna and Libertus found themselves with a dotted paper. Iris finished the rounds and ended up with one as well, smiling happily as she came to stop beside her brother.

Prompto watched as Crowe, Nyx and Ignis looked over to him; Noctis by his side. "So we have the groups. Now how long do we have before the others start freaking out and come after us?" Prompto teased nervously.

Pelna looked back at the broken screen and said, "It's 5:03 am. Dawn is about an hour away and the poison won't last more than two." He turned back, grabbed the pen Iris had left on the edge and marked the 8th floor location then made an X on the 3rd floor. "This should be a secondary command center. It's unused unless the primary one is damaged so we should be able to meet up there once we're done."

Ignis plucked the pen from Pelna's hand and quickly copied the mark."Then let's say an hour. No matter what, in an hour we meet up at this location with or without our friends." There was the unspoken determination that they wouldn't fail but it was very like Ignis to prepare for the possibility.

There was no goodbyes or see-you-laters as Prompto stood and walked away. The four men gave one last glance to the others before following after Prompto, their shoulders set and ready to fight.

They would see each other in an hour. They would save Cor and Ravus. They would.


	37. Chapter 37

Crowe, Nyx and Ignis caught up with Prompto and Noctis by the edge of the small passage. Prompto had a determined look in his eyes as he turned to look at Ignis. "What's the fastest way up to the 19th floor?"

Ignis reached out to squeeze Prompto's hand softly even as he went through the different options they had. They were well disguised, but with no identification or ways to know what kind of security measures were in place their best bet would be… "We can take the elevator to the 17th floor and use the auxiliary staircase to the 19th. The exit shouldn't be far from where Cor is being held." He returned the smile Prompto gave him and lead the way.

As they walked through the hangar, Ignis couldn't help the shiver of dread that climbed up his spine. The lined-up airships were a disturbing reminder of what they would have to face during their struggle to evict Niflheim from Lucis. He had read countless reports about Niflheim's military strength, but reading about it couldn't have prepared Ignis for actually seeing it in person.

The elevator Ignis planned to use was tucked out of the way. They kept a watchful eye on the MTs and the few clones but none of them seemed to notice the intruders in their midst. It was nerve-wracking for all of them, especially the two glaives accompanying them; and they only managed to relax once the elevator doors closed behind them.

Nyx and Crowe had quickly checked for cameras or microphones as they traveled through the first three floors. There was a single camera aimed at the door but no microphone. "Looks clear." Nyx said as he leaned against the walls. "What's the plan once we get up there?"

Nyx's words had everyone turning to look at the strategist of them all. Ignis hummed thoughtfully as he unfolded the map and folded it to the 17th floor sketch. "This is the elevator we're currently riding -" he tapped the symbol near the eastern side of the floor plan "- and we will need to pass through part of the ship before reaching the stairs here." He tapped the auxiliary staircase he had noticed when Pelna had printed the map.

Crowe studied the map carefully. She had used Nif-made plans to figure out where to send her spells and had some idea of what they might have as security based on the general shape of the area. "If we want to remain inconspicuous then I would suggest going through here." She outlined a path on the map that went from the elevator to the stairs.

It passed through what Crowe thought was most likely the quarters for some of the junior officers. Those officers would have been among the ones leaving to eat at one of the mess halls. It would take longer to reach the staircase but it would lessen their chances of getting caught.

Prompto frowned, "Isn't that going to take us longer? We should just head straight there!" He had his arms crossed over his chest, fingers tapping restlessly against his elbow as he spoke.

Crowe turned to him, "It's better to remain unseen than to risk setting off an alarm." She sighed, glancing over to Nyx before she added. "Look Prompto. Me and Nyx have done rescue missions before. Trust us when we say that you don't want to set off an alarm. We can handle the guards left here but Cor and Ravus can't."

She nodded as Prompto's mouth formed an O as horrified understanding bloomed in his eyes. He wasn't the only one either as Ignis and Noctis tensed up as well. Crowe turned back to the floor plan in Ignis hand and shifted the conversation back to what they had to do.

"Let's see what the 19th floor is like." Ignis shifted the map around until they could see it clearly.

Nyx interrupted before Crowe could take a good look at them, "We're here." The elevator dinged as the doors opened to grey steel walls. Ignis hurried to place the floor map away as they left the elevator one after the other. Crowe took the lead as they left the main hall.

The halls were smaller once they turned away from the main passage. Crowe lead the way, Prompto and Noctis following right behind while Ignis and Nyx closed off the line. They stayed silent except for the two times Crowe asked for the floor plan to check their direction.

Once they were safely at the staircase, Ignis called for a stop. "Crowe, Nyx. Do either of you have an idea of what to expect as we continue on?" He glanced from one to the other as he brought up the floor plan.

Crowe shrugged as she took a look at the plan. "Pelna said the area had an anti-magic barrier around it right? So we won't be able to count of our magic or weapons in case of trouble." The worries etched on the three younger men's faces deepened. Crowe grinned, "Flasks still work though but we have to keep them on us from now on." Nyx sighed at her words and she gave him a mock glare.

Nyx shook his head as he glanced over Crowe's shoulder at the plans. "I don't think potions and such will work either until we get out of the affected area." He glanced sharply at Ignis. "You know how to treat injuries, right?" Ignis nodded.

"I can as well!" Prompto said forcefully as he looked up at Nyx.

Nyx reached out to ruffle Prompto's hair. "I know but depending on what we find up there you might not be able to do that. It's better if we're prepared for it." He smiled as Prompto stopped pouting. "The area Pelna circled looks like it has at least three separate doors before we can even enter the area."

Crowe nodded. "That means serious security is there. Cameras, mics, alarms and card keys are the most common ones the Nifs use."

"So how do we deal with those?" Noctis asked. He glanced at Prompto, "Should we use Prom's tattoo?"

Crowe shook her head. "And set the whole place blaring with alarms? No. We can either try to find a card key and hopes it has the proper security level. Or we can try to trick the system into opening for us." Crowe looked over to Nyx. They both had a silent conversation before nodding simultaneously.

Nyx straightened and looked over the small group. If Pelna were here then there wouldn't be anything to worry about, but he wasn't. "Crowe and I will deal with the security and keep the doors open until you can get to Cor and out again." He and Crowe started summoning flasks and setting them on the ground.

Ignis, Noct and Prompto followed suit until they had all their flasks arranged on the ground between them. Ignis knelt down and grabbed one of each elemental type. "Here. It would be best to leave most of these for Crowe and Nyx since they are the most likely to have to use them. Prompto, Noctis, please grab a few for yourselves as well." Nyx nodded his agreement to the plan.

Noctis nodded and grabbed a few flasks to hand over to Prompto before grabbing some for himself. Crowe and Nyx quickly grabbed the rest of the flasks and they all spent the next few minutes getting ready to move to rescue Cor. Ignis fussed over Prompto and Noctis as they waited for Nyx and Crowe to have everything to their liking.

The climb up the two flights of stairs was tense for all of them. Ignis kept both his boyfriends within arm's length, reaching out occasionally to lay a reassuring hand on their arms or back. As they reached the top of the stairs, Nyx slipped ahead silently to check if it was safe to move.

Prompto slipped his hand into Ignis' and Noct's as they waited for the glaive's return. They shared a glance over Prompto's shoulders as they squeezed his hands gently. Thankfully it didn't take Nyx long to return. He smiled at the trio as he motioned them into the hall of the 19th floor.

This floor was quite different from the 17th, the air smelt of heavy duty cleaners and antiseptic made Prompto tense up. Ignis leaned forward, whispering softly, "Are you alright Prompto?" The nod he received in return was slightly shaky but determined. Ignis nodded and kept a hand on the small of his boyfriend's back.

Nyx led them through the fluorescent-lit hall, past darkened windows that did not lead outside. The atmosphere was heavy and their steps echoed in the silence. It didn't take long for them to spot the heavy looking doors standing in their way with its key card scanner on the left side.

Crowe knelt down by the scanner and managed to pry the top part off, revealing the countless wires underneath it. Nyx settled a few steps away, keeping a sharp eye out for anyone coming their way while Crowe started to work on bypassing the scanner.

Ignis settled on the opposite wall of Nyx. "Are you certain this won't trigger any alarms?" Nyx nodded, his eyes continuing to roam across the hall and the passages leading to it. Ignis looked over at Prompto, who was standing a few steps away from the door, hand tapping against his leg as he waited for them to open.

Crowe gave a triumphant grunt as sparks flew from the key card panel and the groan of doors opening was heard. The second of the three doors could be seen past the first threshold and Prompto gave a low infuriated growl at the sight. Noctis rested a hand on his arm and Prompto placed his own hand over it.

As the door finished opening, Noctis frowned as he felt something pass over him. On a hunch he opened his hand, willing anything to appear. Nothing did. "Looks like the doors also kept the barrier contained. We won't be able to use magic from now on." The announcement was expected and they simply shrugged it off.

Crowe finished up what she was doing before rising to her feet and moving onwards. She clicked her tongue as she entered the small space between the doors. There were nozzles that were set on both side, and a keyhole just under a computer monitor.

She moved up to inspect what was on the monitor for a moment before taking a small pouch from a pocket. The thin lock picks were a gag gift from Luche and Libertus but they had quickly proved invaluable. The keyhole was easily picked and Crowe swore as a panel dropped open above her head, the keypad almost hitting her as it unfolded outwards.

Prompto, Noctis and Ignis watched her work with growing interest as Crowe set about dismantling the keypad and fiddling with some of the wires. She glanced every so often up to the monitor, her face tense with concentration until the monitor blinked green. A fine mist started to spray from the nozzles and the heavy scent of some kind of antiseptic started to waft from the ground.

Ignis frowned heavily - what kind of interrogation area required such heavy sterilization just to enter? He glanced over to Nyx and saw the same kind of worried confusion on the glaive's expression. Ignis turned his attention back to the now opening doors and prayed his instincts were wrong.

The third door took a lot less time going through, requiring only that Crowe tricked the sensors before the second doors read as closed. As Crowe made her way back towards the exit, Prompto gave her a quick hug before moving past her with Ignis and Noctis in tow.

The darkness past the last door was broken the moment Prompto stepped through the threshold. Prompto felt his blood drain from his face as he recognized the rooms that could be seen through the wide windows on each side of the hall.

Each window showed an utterly sterile and ready-for-use operating room. Prompto stumbled back with a horrified gasp before he ran off in a panic. "Uncle! Uncle, where are you?" He checked into each window with growing panic until his sight landed on an immobile figure on the table.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Ignis! Noctis!" Prompto shouted as he banged against the window pane. He couldn't see who it was but there was only one person that it could be.

Noctis ran up to Prompto as he started shouting, Ignis only a few steps behind. As Noct saw the motionless figure on the table he warned Prompto, "Out of the way Prom!"

In one smooth motion, Noctis grabbed the ice flask from his pocket and tossed it against the glass. The ice magic spread thick frost over it and the sound of it cracking was welcomed by the trio.

Prompto didn't hesitate as he drove his hand through the ice covered window. It shattered easily, pieces of the frosted glass piercing his skin but Prompto ignored the stinging pain as he jumped into the room.

There was nothing that would stand between him and his…. "Ravus?"

A/N: Well? Who saw this coming?


	38. Chapter 38

Luna watched as Prompto and his group left through the slim passage. They would wait for a few minutes before going on their own way. "Pelna? Can I see the map? We should plan out how to approach the cells." She turned back towards the glaive, hiding her worries.

Pelna nodded and laid the map on a crate nearby. The 8th floor seemed to be composed of two main areas separated by a large blank space. There were no elevators leading into the cell area and the only way to it was by the single passage linking the two parts of the floor.

Gladio frowned as he took in the details of their destination. "Taking that passage is bound to be trouble. A single way in or out of a holding area means that it will be well monitored. Even if we managed to get rid of most of the human soldiers, there's bound to be MTs or clones guarding it carefully." He glanced up to Libertus.

The glaive shook his head as he noticed the look. "The invisibility spell won't do much good. The passage is too small for the shield to be fully formed." Libs tapped the blank area on either side of the single hall and asked, "Pel? Can you figure out what that is exactly? We may be able to warp past the guards completely if it's empty space."

Pelna was already shaking his head before Libertus was done talking. "I already checked. Those blank spaces are walled off from the rest of the floor." Libertus' shoulders slumped down.

Iris hummed and turned to Gladio. "Hey, Gladdy?" Gladio turned to look at her. "Do you remember the lecture Dad gave us about the security system in the Citadel? I kinda remember him saying something about the size of the Citadel making it necessary to use something to keep the security system load balanced?" She pouted as she tried to remember what her dad had said.

Gladio frowned, he remembered what Iris was referring to but he wasn't sure if he remembered the details properly. "I think Dad was saying something about needing to secure servers? I think someone had tried to cause some kind of overload of the security system." Pelna yelped and whirled back to the broken monitor screen.

Gladio shared surprised and confused looks with Iris, Libertus and Luna as they watched Pelna furiously doing something. "YES!" Pelna's sudden low exclamation made them all jump. The glaive whirled back to face them, a fanatical gleam in his eyes. "They have dedicated servers for their security system!" When he was met with confused looks, Pelna sighed. "It means that if we can find the server for the 8th floor I can turn off the alarm system for the entire floor without anyone realizing it."

Gladio grinned and punched his open palm. "That means we'll be able to take down anyone in our way without worry right?" Pelna nodded, matching Gladio's grin with his own.

"The server is probably going to be on the opposite side of the holding cells." Pelna looked at the map for a moment. "Probably around here." He circled an area around the center of the non-cell area. It was close to the only elevator on that floor.

Now that they had the beginning of a plan, it wasn't long before they were leaving the small hiding spot and heading to the elevator. Luna ignored the sight of the airships lined in the hangar, she had seen this many darken the sky above her home once before. She didn't miss the way Gladio tugged Iris into a one armed hug as they moved.

The elevator ride was tense as the floors flew past fairly quickly. As the elevator came to a slow stop, Gladio and Libertus moved in front of the others protectively. The doors slid open and the two moved forward to secure the area.

It was a good thing since there were four MTs guarding it. Gladio quickly brought out the summoned his broadsword and cut down two of them easily. Libertus followed suit, warping behind the other two and digging his curved daggers through their necks. As the MTs dropped heavily to the floor, Iris and Pelna had to move quickly with Luna to keep the dropping armor from causing too much noise.

The five stood tensely as they waited to see if anyone had noticed their less than stealthy arrival. As seconds ticked by with no one coming their way, Luna shared a look with Pelna before setting off. Gladio met Libertus' gaze and jerked his head towards the leaving princess. Libertus nodded and hurried to join her in leading the way through the passages.

After passing through many empty halls the group came across a wide space filled with well organized desks. Pelna looked around and smiled as he spotted the lonely looking metal tower by the edge of the room. "There. That should be it." He said as he walked over.

There were two ways into the desk area; Gladio and Libertus moved to cover each of them while Luna and Iris started looking through the desks. Most of the papers still on the desks were useless to them but the two ladies did find a few lists of 'confiscated' historic or valuable objects taken from Insomnia.

"They took some of our weapons!" Iris exclaimed angrily as she thumbed through the first three pages of the report. "Gladdy! They even took Great-Aunt Amara's lance!" She put the papers away, not wanting to read more about the pillaging the Niflheim Army had done.

She stomped over to the next desk and rummaged through it angrily. Luna watched with sympathy as the younger girl made a mess of the desk. She picked up the list and decided to give it to Aranea, the Resistance might be able to find the current location of the objects and possibly see to their return to Insomnia.

Pelna worked quickly, plugging his handheld into the server and bypassing the firewall with ease. The process of finding and copying the all-clear code for the security system was longer and more detail oriented. As soon as he was done setting up a looping all-clear signal and adding in a master key to the floor's security system, Pelna rose to his feet with a relieved sigh.

Luna smiled. "All done?" Pelna nodded as he walked over. "Good, could you put these into the armory for the moment?" Pelna reached out and grabbed the papers Luna gave him, sending it with a flick of his wrist into the same magical storage as his weapons.

Gladio huffed, "Let's go kick some ass and save Ravus then." He grinned widely, his expression slightly bloodthirsty. Libertus and Iris nodded together, just as determined to deal with the guards standing between them and Ravus.

Pelna was no less determined to do so but there was one thing they had to deal with first. "Wait a minute. Don't forget that we won't be able to use magic as we get closer to the holding cells. I'm not sure what the range is but we'd best be prepared." He reminded them sternly.

Gladio moved to stand beside Luna and pointedly asked, "Think your magic is going to work in the barrier?" He summoned his broadsword, and his rarely used baldric to strap it to his back. He wanted to be able to get his hands free when he wasn't fighting.

Luna brought out her trident with a shrug. "I don't know. I guess we'll find out once we get there." She watched as Pelna and Libertus got ready. The glaives had their own weapons strapped at their waists, and were dividing up potions and the few elixirs Noctis had created for them.

Iris crossed her arms; she didn't have access to the Crystal's magic so she wasn't really worried about the barrier. She was, on the other hand, realizing she didn't have a weapon and that was not right. "Gladdy! Lend me something please." She begged with a pout.

Gladio chuckled and mentally checked what he had in his part of Noct's armory. Most of his swords weren't well suited for Iris' preferred fighting style. Then he remembered that he still had Noctis' old training sword stashed away. Perfect! "Here, it's Noct's old one but it should do perfectly for you." He tossed Iris the sword and grinned when she caught it one handed. He watched with pride as Iris tested the balance and edges before nodding satisfied.

Pelna and Libertus watched the youngest Amicitia try out her new sword with equally amused smiles. It was like seeing a younger Crowe all over again. Pelna checked his handheld before saying, "Looks like they have a half a dozen MTs and just as many clones guarding the passage. "

"A dozen? Eh, that's not a lot." Gladio said as he glanced over to Iris. "Me and Iris can take them down." Iris bobbed her head in agreement. "We'll deal with the guards in the passage. Libs, get Luna and Pelna to the door. There might be some more guards..."

"At least 4 guards more." Interrupted Pelna.

Gladio nodded, "I'm sure you three can manage those four by yourselves." The glares Pelna and Libs sent his way were answer enough. Gladio chuckled, slapped Iris on the back and set off, his sword leisurely slung over his shoulder.

"Ready Iris?" Gladio asked, shifting his grip on his broadsword. Iris nodded, her expression determined. Gladio took a deep breath, checked over his shoulder to see Pelna and Libertus looking ready for a fight., and took the last few steps between his position and the passage entrance.

The moment he came into the view, guns were swiftly pointed his way. Gladio grinned and roared as he rushed the closest of the MTs. He dropped his broadsword downwards and grinned as the feeling of bullets bounced off the expertly forged blade. A swing upwards and the first MT lost its torso.

Iris was moving the instant her brother roared. She rushed towards the other guard, keeping herself low as they both opened fire on Gladio. As Gladio dealt with the left MT, Iris slid under the other's guard and dug her borrowed sword straight through its neck.

The Amicitia's attack drew the attention of the rest of the guards and Iris dove behind Gladio as bullets came flying towards them. Gladio hissed as he shifted to cover Iris properly.

A flask went flying above their head, soon followed by a second one. Glass shattered, lightning and ice filled the passage. Gladio took the opening and dove back into battle. Iris following right behind.

They watched each other's back. Falling into a rhythm that rarely happened outside of their sparring matches against Dad. Strike and block. Dodge and counter. The sound of gunshots. The sound of bullets. Metal ringing against metal. Silence.

Gladio turned around to check on Iris, his breath coming in short pants after the fight. He could feel the satisfactory burn of sore muscles and the sting of scratches that would heal quickly. He sighed in relief as he saw Iris looked completely mostly okay though out of breath.

They were both speckled with blood and oil but thankfully had managed to escape serious injuries. Gladio walked over, "You alright, Iris?" he asked gruffly. Iris nodded slowly. "Good. I saw Luna and the others dart through while we were fighting. Let's go join up with them." Gladio ruffled Iris' hair gently before walking past the empty armors strewn around.

Luna watched Gladio charge at the guards, Iris following after her brother with utter confidence. The few seconds it took for the Amicitias to deal with the two MTs were a reminder of why the House of Amicitia were the King's Shields.

As the sound of gunshots erupted from beyond the two, Luna hissed, grabbed a lightning flask from Pelna's waist, and tossed it over Gladio's figure. Libertus swore under his breath and grabbed an ice flask to lob it after the first.

The gunfire stopped as the elemental magic took effect and the trio followed right after Gladio and Iris. Luna watched with a pang of worry as she, Libertus and Pelna rushed past the fighting siblings.

She didn't have much time to worry about them as they ran out of the cold mist only to be faced with four guns pointed their way. Luna ducked as bullets ripped through the air, she shifted her grip on her trident and threw it.

The ceremonial weapon was still sharp and deadly. Luna was sharply reminded of that fact as her trident buried itself easily into the MT's arm, making it unable to aim properly with the extra weight. Libertus threw one of his curved daggers at the same MT, face twisting as he concentrated. "Shit, can't warp!" He said moments later as his dagger pierced the armor and dropped the MT.

Pelna took the warning, using his short blade to lunge forward instead of the throw he had been planning. His blade was sharp enough to pierce the MT's thick armor with ease and Pelna rolled over the dropping armor, dodging bullets as he did.

Luna and Libertus are by his side as he gets back to his feet. Libs using his second dagger to detach the arms off a third MT while Luna had been able to grab her trident from the floor. Pelna quickly dispatched the now armless guard, allowing Libertus to tug Luna out of the way of a spray of bullets to safety. Together both glaives rushed the last guard, taking it down with ease.

"Anyone hurt?" asked Luna as both glaives got back to their feet. Both shook their heads as Pelna headed for the security panel. Libertus walked over to Luna, quickly checking the Oracle for any injury and smiling when he found none.

The sounds of fighting from the passage were fading slowly, soon replaced by two people approaching. Libertus tensed up, his fist tightened on the hilt of his daggers but he relaxed the moment he saw Gladio's hulking figure through the fading mist.

Gladio and Iris slid beside Luna and Libertus, all of them turning to watch as Pelna worked his own brand of magic on the doors. It took less than a minute for the doors to open with a slowness that irked them all.

Luna was first through them, hurrying to find her brother. The halls were dimly lit; drab grey walls broken by thick metal doors. Beside each door was a small screen showing the inside of the cells. Luna glanced at each as she barely refrained from running, all showed dark empty cells.

Iris was quick to go after Luna, not wanting to leave her alone. Gladio frowned and glanced over to Pelna, "Any way to figure out which cell Ravus is in? I don't think we'll be able to check each of these in time to meet up with Prompto and the rest." He hadn't even finished talking before Pelna was heading straight to the closest monitor to work.

As Pelna went to work, Gladio watched as Luna and Iris disappeared from sight. He tensed up, about to go after them, when they both came back into view. Luna had a worried scared look on her face as she returned to the entrance. Even Iris looked confused as she trailed over.

"What is it?" Gladio asked once they were back with them.

Iris answered for Luna, "It's a dead end. We didn't see any other passages either, only cell doors." They were both frowning. The area outline in the floor plan was much bigger than just this one cell filled hall so where was the rest of the holding area?

Pelna had the answered ready for them in no time. "The Nifs are a paranoid bunch." He sighed as he straightened from where he had been. "Some of the doors don't lead to cells but rather other passages. Follow me. I found the only occupied cell and how to get there." He started down the path in a hurry.

They followed Pelna down seven doors. He used the fake masterkey to open the right-side door and shook his head slightly at the sight of another passage. They kept going with rising impatience, Pelna opening doors that lead to halls one after the other until he finally stopped in front of a cell.

Luna gasped as she took a glance on the monitor. It showed someone lying still on the small cot in the cell. Pelna was already tapping in his masterkey as Luna rushed past him, intent on entering the cell as soon as the door unlocked.

There was barely any light inside as Luna threw the door open the moment she could, and rushed inside. A bruised and bloody arm reached from right out of sight and yanked her off her feet and into the darkness.

Gladio grabbed his sword and rushed in, knowing Libertus, Iris and Pelna were undoubtedly doing the same right behind him. His rush sputtered to a halt as he faced the person with their arm curled around Luna's neck in a loose hold. "Cor?"


	39. Chapter 39 (Fixed)

Prompto put his confusion aside as he dropped beside the table. His hand trembled as he reached out to his cousin.

Ravus felt ice cold against his hand, too cold. Frantically he drops his hand to a thin red stained neck and sighs in relief. Ravus had a pulse. It was slow and not as strong as he would have liked but it was there! As was the soft tickling breath of an exhalation.

As the other two came closer, Prompto glanced over the rest of him and tensed up in horror. Badly stitched cuts littered his chest around deep burn marks. Prompto could see thin ribs stretching even thinner skin. Bruises in various states of healing marred too-thin limbs poking out of the blue hospital blanket.

His arm… Prompto swallowed convulsively as he felt its horrid nature call to _him._ Ravus left arm was now a metallic prosthetic that oozed tainted blackness in a rhythmic, pulsating way. Like a heartbeat.

Prompto stared at the daemonic prosthetic for a few seconds longer before Ignis appeared by his side. "Prompto! If you can't help then please move out of the way." Ignis' words snapped Prompto out of his shock and he quickly moved out of the way.

"Careful Iggy, that prosthetic has the scourge in it." Prompto warned. He glanced around the operating room until he found a tray of bandages. He grabbed them and quickly checked his pockets before remembering that the cure bombs and the leftover vaccine were in Noct's armory.

"Ifrit's furry ass!" He ignored the twin shocked looks from Ignis and Noctis as he put on gloves and started wrapping the bandages around the prosthetic arm. "We left the cure in the armory!"

"If that arm is daemonic in nature then we need to hurry and treat it." Ignis said as he began checking Ravus for any other injury that required immediate treatment. "Noctis, go let Crowe and Nyx know about this. We may require their assistance in getting Ravus out of here." Noct nodded as he turned to run off.

Ignis took a mental list of injuries as he came across them. Most of them were...thankfully… healing properly and would not be a cause for concern. On the other hand, the sheer amount he found on the Tenebraen prince was worrisome. As he pulled out IVs and had Prompto bandage any still open wound, Ignis tried to figure out how to bring them safely down.

They slipped a hospital gown on Ravus before carrying him over to Nyx, who was waiting with clenched jaw on the other side of the broken window. As the glaive grabbed his commander in his arms, he growled, "Those bastards are going to pay for this."

Nyx set the pace, slower than normal but he didn't want to risk making any injuries worse. "Crowe!" He warned her as they approached the triple doors. Crowe's expression was grim as she glanced at their commander but she quickly closed all three doors as soon as they were out.

Noct waited until the last door was closed before reaching out and grabbing the leftover vaccine from the armory. Hopefully Cor wouldn't be in need of it. He wasn't surprised when Prompto snatched it from his hand as soon as it had materialized. As he watched Prompto give it to Ravus, Noctis realized something.

"Nyx, wait a sec. I need to do something." Noct said as he tugged off his glove. He took a deep breath before reaching out to touch Ravus' forehead with Carbuncle's mark.

 _Carbuncle! Ravus is safe now. Can you bring him back?_

The mark pulsed a soft ruby red as Noct mentally called out for the small Astral. He kept his gaze focused on Ravus' face, lower lip trapped between his teeth as he waited. Seconds ticked by but Noct knew something was happening since he could feel the drain on his magic. As the red glow faded and Noct stumbled back a few steps into Ignis' waiting arms, they kept their eyes on the unconscious prince.

Ravus shifted in Nyx's arms, the first movement since they had found him, and the glaive hurried to knell where he was. "Commander?" Nyx called out softly as he moved the arm from under his legs to support Ravus' back more. Prompto dropped beside them.

Purple and blue eyes fluttered open slowly, Ravus' gaze unfocused and drifting from Nyx to Prompto and back without any recognition. Prompto reached out slowly to gently grab Ravus' remaining hand, "Ray-ray? Can you hear me?" The nod that followed was vastly comforting.

Ignis checked the time; they had plenty of it left before they were required to meet with Lunafreya and her team. "Let us move to the staircase. There will be less chance of someone seeing us and we will be able to let Ravus recover more comfortably." He suggested as he glanced around.

Nyx nodded and shifted his grip to pick the commander up again. Prompto gave Ravus' hand a squeeze as they rose and refused to let go as they made their way to the stairs. Ignis had them descent a flight before allowing them to stop. He and Crowe quickly grabbed some blankets from the armory so Ravus would be more comfortable.

Ravus was still very much out of it as Nyx laid him down but as Ignis administered a potion he was able to find his bearings. "To...took yo...you…long...enough… Luna?" Ravus' voice was rough and filled with pain but after a faltering start, it was clear and understandable.

Noct gave a mock groan even as he smiled. "Always complaining Ravus. Luna is alright. She's with Gladio after all." He sat down beside Ravus, growing more serious as he glanced over at the wrapped arm and said, "They… I'm sorry Ravus. They did something to your arm." He gritted his teeth together.

Ravus started to shake his head but quickly stopped as the movement made the world spin. He closed his eyes tightly until it stopped. "I know." Ravus hissed as he started pushing himself up.

"Carbuncle kept me aware of what they were doing." Ravus explained as he allowed Nyx and Prompto to help. "He kept apologizing for not being able to stop them." Ravus was panting heavily by the time he was upright, his weight supported by the two flanking him.

"Ray-ray! Take it easy, you're injured." Prompto said, shifting his grip to better support his cousin. Ravus gave him a shaky, tired smile in answer. Prompto sighed and gave Ravus his best pout, "Dad is going to be really sad when he hears you were over doing it." He made a victory sign out of Ravus' sight as his cousin looked contrite and slumped against him.

Ignis and Crowe both hid smiles at Prompto's masterful use of his pout. Even Noctis and Nyx looked on with amusement. But as happy as it was to see Ravus awake and safe with them, Ignis knew they had to move soon.

Ignis move to kneel in front of Ravus, "Ravus-" he smiled softly, "- we must be on our way soon. Prompto administered a vaccine to try and contain the damage from the Scourge prosthetic but I must know if you require another potion or perhaps something stronger." He watched carefully as Ravus started to shake his head only to stop and hiss in pain.

Ignis didn't hesitate as he grabbed an elixir and crushed it on Ravus' chest as gently as he could. Most of the injuries were too old to be affected by the elixir but it would help relieve the pain and tension for a while.

Ravus nodded gratefully before scowling as Nyx moved to pick him up again. "I will walk Nyx." There were sighs all around at the words, even if there were tinged with relief rather than exasperation. Ravus growled and struggled to his feet in rebellion but soon found himself leaning heavily against Nyx.

Nyx wisely kept his mouth shut though his eyes spoke volumes. He threaded an arm around Ravus' waist to keep him on his feet, and looped the commander's arm around his shoulders for good measure. He hid his smile and simply waited for Ignis, Prompto and Noctis to finish cleaning up.

It didn't take long to put everything back into the armory, Ignis quickly checking around to ensure there remained no trace of their presence before nodding to Crowe to lead the way. Crowe slipped down the stairs to clear a way for the rest of them.

Nyx waited until Noctis started down before starting to move with Ravus. Well, more like dragging Ravus with him, as his commander could barely put a foot in front of the other. Nyx had been expecting it and he simply tightened his grip and did his best to support the prince as they moved.

Prompto held up the rear with Ignis, nervously watching Ravus and obviously ready to jump forward if need be. Ignis could understand the worry and left him to it, they weren't out of harm's way just yet and someone needed to ensure they weren't being followed.

Thankfully the 17th floor seemed as empty as it had been during their first passage. Crowe flitted between scouting the way and checking on them with ease. As they reached the elevator, Nyx carefully helped Ravus sit down as Noctis called for the elevator.

Ravus dropped his head back against the wall, panting furiously. He felt Prompto slide down beside him and forced a shaky smile on his face. A cool hand came to rest on his forehead and Ravus leaned into it with a small relieved sigh. Prompto gasped as he felt the heat rising from Ravus, quickly going to grab a potion only to have Ignis grab his wrist gently.

"A potion will not help for the fever Prompto. He needs actual medicine and rest. We must hurry to join the others and leave." Ignis said simply. Prompto bit his lower lip in frustration as he sent the potion back. He hated not being able to do anything to help Ravus.

The elevator's arrival had Prompto helping Ravus up and into it as the others followed. The ride down was mostly silent, broken only by Ravus' heavy breathing. Ignis had only taken a passing glance at the third floor on their way up but now he wanted to check how to reach their rendez-vous point. They would be barely on time to meet the others.

The third floor was composed of three larger areas connected by what appeared to be hanging catwalks. The secondary command center was the middle one and the largest one of the three. The elevator they were riding in opened into the left one.

They would have to pass through it before being able to make it to the command center. Ignis hummed thoughtfully, "Prompto? Will you be able to help Ravus with Noctis?" Prompto glanced over to Noct before they both nodded.

Ignis folded the map back and put it away as the last few floors dinged one after the others. "Then, Crowe and Nyx, please go on ahead. We should be arriving into some kind of warehouse area. Once through there we need only to follow the catwalk to where we will be meeting Lunafreya and the others." The two glaives nodded and move to stand before the door as the elevator stopped moving, the doors opening slowly.

 _Bang!_ Crowe staggered back with a sharp cry, her hand coming to press against her stomach. "Crowe!" Nyx shouted, glancing at his friend before he disappeared into a warp. Ignis caught Crowe as she started to collapse to her knees, a potion already in hand. He pressed it against the red stain blooming under her hand.

As Ignis helped Crowe, Noctis pushed Prompto closer to Ravus and stepped forward into the open doors. The person Nyx was fighting was one Noctis remembered from his nightmares. "Drautos!" He roared angrily as he summoned his engine blade.


	40. Chapter 40

A/N I can't believe it already been 40 chapters!

The Marshall narrowed his eyes against the dimly-lit background, his arm falling away from Luna. "Gladiolus?" Gladio took a deep breath at the sound of his voice. It was raw, as though the Marshall had either been choked or had been screaming for hours on end.

Luna had frozen when someone had yanked her off her feet. The arm was too bulky to be her brother's and the pressure around her neck brought her heart to her mouth. The arm loosened quickly and dropped completely once Gladio put a name on its owner. The feeling of the Marshall swaying against her back snapped her into action.

Luna whirled around, hands going out to support the much taller man. "Gladio! We need to move him to a more-lighted area. I can't see anything in here." She demanded. It was a testament to how poorly Cor was feeling that he barely tried to argue as Gladio swooped over to do just that.

The light in the hall was barely better but Luna could work with that. Cor's skin was pale where it wasn't bruised or sporting deep cuts. His wrists bore the marks of too-small restraints as did his ankles. One of his hands, his left, felt dangerously cold even with the bruising making it look utterly black.

A quick look at the soles of Cor's feet sent a wave of anger through Luna's body. The skin there hung in tatters and she could see the start of some serious infection. Luna forced herself to remain calm.

She did not know if her magic would still be accessible here but she had to try. Luna fell into herself, reaching out for the pool of golden light that was her blood's gift. As she touched it, she could feel her friends' feelings as clearly as if they had been spoken.

Iris' relief at finding Cor alive, her worry at the sight of his injuries and her guilt for having been used as a hostage against the man she thought of as family. Gladio's anger, Libertus' well-hidden concern and even Pelna's empathy rang out as Luna felt the healing light spill from her hands.

She started with the worst of what she could feel through her magic. Ribs knitted back together. Internal bleeding stopped, the blood recycled into the lymphatic system. Exposed muscles were covered in pink new skin as dead skin fell off.

Luna kept her focus on healing and soothing pain. Once the major potentially life-threatening conditions were dealt with, she moved on to the less-deadly but still-dangerous ones. As she moved her hands over Cor's left hand she felt something unexpected.

Luna snapped her eyes open and glared as fiercely as she could at Cor. Her anger and indignation grew as the man refused to meet her gaze. Guilt dripped from his posture. "How long?" She said, deadly serious.

Luna felt the surprise in her companions and brought a hand imperiously up to cut off any questions. She felt a surge of amused pride as the sound of at least two mouths clicked shut almost instantly. Luna kept her attention and anger focused on Cor as she repeated the question. "How long have you been infected?"

Cor flinched at the words but slowly turned his head to finally meet her gaze. What she saw there, among the pain and guilt, diminished her anger towards the foolish injured and exhausted man. Shaking her head, Luna sighed and asked, "The vaccine didn't work on it?" Cor shook his head.

"Vaccine? What's going on, Luna?" Iris' trembling voice pierced the silence.

Luna glanced over her shoulder and sighed; they didn't have time for her to deal with the Scourge right now. "Cor has stage two Scourge, almost stage three." She explained instead, getting to her feet. "He's had it for a while now and it appears to be unaffected by Aunt Sylva's cure. I'll have to deal with it personally but it would take more time than we have here." She swayed for a moment before regaining her balance.

Libs was by her side instantly, supporting her easily. "And more energy than would be wise to use here." He turned to Gladio. "Can you help the Marshall?" Gladio nodded, his expression unreadable.

Gladio moved in front of Cor, half expecting the glare shot his way. "Come on, Marshall." Gladio said teasingly, "We have to meet up with Prompto soon. We won't make it if you try to act tough." He crouched down and added, "Please let me help you." Cor met Gladio's gaze, the soft understanding he saw there combine with the knowledge he was going to see Prompto soon had him nodding with a sigh.

Gladio grinned and carefully picked the Marshall in his arms, sliding the horrifying knowledge of how much thinner he seemed into a corner of his mind for later. Instead he made sure Cor was comfortable, smiling when Iris ended up putting her vest over Cor with a pleading pout.

Leaving the holding area was surprisingly satisfying and they quickly got into the elevator. Gladio had to drop Cor to his feet, as there wasn't enough space inside to fit them all if Cor stayed in his arms. Pelna and Iris quickly moved to support the Marshall as Gladio kept an arm around his shoulders.

The ride was short and Gladio swooped Cor off his feet the moment he could, ignoring the grumbling from the injured old man. Libertus took the lead as they walked through the crate filled warehouse, keeping an eye out for any guards or soldiers keeping watch.

The crates were piled up to the ceiling, creating a maze to be navigated without a map. There were symbols painted on some of the crates, outlines of guns sat beside apples or bottles in various colors. It gave an unexpected lightness to the dark warehouse.

Libertus frowned after they passed the same corner for the third time. "Seriously? Only the Nif would make a warehouse into a maze." He muttered angrily as he waited for the rest of the group to catch up. The glaive looked up and sighed; at this point he would have to risk being seen and warp up to find the way out.

Luna walked up to Libertus, a hand coming to rest lightly on his arm as she said, "It seems as though we are lost." Libertus nodded without stopping his search for a good place to warp to. Luna followed his gaze and smiled, "I see, we should be able to find our way out if someone can guide us from above." They shared a smile and turned to the others.

Gladio was leaning against the crates, Cor standing by his side with Iris helping him out. The three were arguing about something in low whispers while Pelna watched with clear amusement. Luna picked up a few words as they walked over but nothing that would indicate what they were arguing about.

Instead Gladio and Iris ignored Cor's annoyed glare to turn towards Libertus and Luna. Iris tilted her head slightly, "Are we moving on?" Luna shook her head in response.

Libertus sighed and explained, "We seem to be going in a circle. I'm going to try to warp up to the top and see if I can spot the exit. If I can't then we'll have to figure a way through this damn warehouse somehow." He rubbed a few fingers over his eyes as he spoke.

Cor grunted as he straightened, ignoring the looks they all sent his way at the sound. "We passed a place that should give you a good view of the warehouse." He took one step forward and then another, brushing away Iris' wordless offer with a tight pained smile.

Gladio shared a look with Luna as he followed Cor closely, ready to swoop in if the stubborn Marshall needed help. Luna shrugged; she was surprised that Cor hadn't demanded to be left alone already.

They all followed the staggering man back through the passage until they reached a T corner. Cor leaned heavily against the crates and pointed upwards. There were several missing crates creating the perfect place to safely warp up without being seen.

Pelna glanced around carefully before he did just that. He reappeared on top in a flash of crystalline blue light and fought back the nausea that always followed. Once it had passed, Pelna was able to concentrate on his surroundings. He climbed the last few boxes and knelt carefully at the top of the wall of crates.

The warehouse laid at his feet, the walls on all sides only visible due to the lights on them. Pelna carefully turned in a full circle to grasp the layout as much as possible before concentrating on the task at hand.

"I think I see a path." Pelna sais carefully, pitching his words down to the group. "We'll have to back track a bit." He tensed suddenly, the odd feeling that something had moved just out of his sight.

He looked around carefully but nothing jumped out at him. Gladio's voice snapped his attention back to the group. "How far do you think it is?" Concern was clear in his voice and Pelna knew why.

The glaive looked around, they still had a while to go before they could reach the door leading out. "With all the twists and turns, about half what we just walked." Pelna grabbed his sword and waited to see what they wanted to do.

Luna took careful measure of Cor's state. The Marshall was pale, sweating and breathing quickly. It was what she expected from someone having gone through such a harrowing situation.

Luna sighed, "Gladio and I will go on ahead with Pelna. We will let Noctis and Prompto know of this and return to find you afterwards. We'll leave a trail for you to follow." Luna gave them a soft smile, checked that Pelna had heard her before starting down the path Pelna pointed out to her.

Gladio reached out to ruffle Iris' hair again, grinning as he told her, "Have fun babysitting the Marshall." He dodged the retaliation from his sister only to feel a heavy hand land on his shoulder.

Gladio swallowed as he looked over his shoulder to met Cor's steely gaze. The Marshall smiled in a vaguely pleasant and terrifying way. "I believe we're due for a spar Gladio. As soon as we're safely out of here that is." Gladio felt cold sweat drip down his back. He nodded once and quickly moved to follow Luna, ignoring the chuckles from Libertus and Iris.

Pelna muffled his own laughter in his collar, sending Iris a mock salute before jumping the gap to the opposite side. He lead the way for Luna and Gladio, telling them directions when they had to juggle turns to bassically retrace their steps a few rows down, and watching over them as they laid a trail of broken crates and cut wood.

It took them almost fifteen minutes to finally arrive at the passage to the secondary command centre, leaving them with less than 5 minutes to spare before they were to meet with the other group. Luna hoped that Ravus was with them but she didn't want to bring her hopes up on the off chance her brother wasn't on the Sublimis after all.

With Pelna joining them back on the floor, Gladio opened the door carefully and peaked into the dimly light passage. It was devoid of life. Gladio glanced over to the other two, appreciating the nods he received, and walked on. He kept his guard up as they walked through the empty hall and stopped before the door.

He motioned for Pelna and Luna to stay back a bit, waiting until they were at a safe distance in case of ambush, before he opened to door and looked into it. Empty. Gladio frowned, "They're not here yet." He opened to door completely and stepped into the grey-and-red command room.

"Drautos!" Noctis' angry voice roared. Gladio spun, greatsword appearing in hand and ready to jump into battle to save his king only to find himself staring at the suddenly alive monitors displaying a empty area.

Gladio didn't wait. He spun back around, eyes quickly finding the other door into the room, and ran for it as quickly as possible. He yanked the door out of his way, barreled down the hall and burst into the warehouse. "NOCT!" A shadow fell over him and Gladio saw the edge of a metal lance heading straight for his heart.


	41. Chapter 41

Nyx glanced over to Crowe as the door of the elevator started to slide open. Crowe met his gaze with her own steady grin. That grin disappeared just as the peal of a gun rocked their surrounding and Nyx shouted as Crowe went down. He took in the pained grimace on Crowe's face and quickly turned his attention to the culprit.

Drautos smirked as he dropped his gun. Nyx didn't waste a moment; after checking that Crowe was still alive, his kukris were in his hands and he was warping towards the enemy. His blade shrieked against Drautos' oversized greatsword. Nyx used his momentum to twist in midair, the meeting point of their blades being the fulcrum for the move.

His free kukris dove above Drautos' guard towards the Niflheim general's neck. A kick sent him flying off before his blade came close to its target. Nyx rolled backwards unto his feet, ready to dive back into the fight.

Noctis struck the moment Drautos kicked Nyx away. His engine sword swiped from underneath, aimed straight at Drautos' back without hesitation. Drautos dodged the strike with a casual step forward, his own blade arrogantly pointed downwards as he turned to face the young king.

"NOCT!" Gladio's voice split Noctis' attention away from Drautos. It was a mistake that the general didn't hesitate to use as he went from motionless to a blur of steel and shadows. Noctis felt the breeze of the blade sliding past him as he wrenched himself away, a blurry figure fading in his place.

He heard something heavy fall over by where Gladio's voice had come from but he couldn't spare the time to dodge as Drautos headed straight at him. Gunshots resounded; bullets flew around his body as Prompto jumped into the fight. Noct smiled; it's good to have someone guarding his back.

Nyx warp-struck Drautos from behind, and managed to draw some blood as the Niflheim General was forced to quickly dodge away. Nyx landed in front of Noctis, checking quickly on the younger man before focusing back on Drautos.

The scowling General wiped the blood from his cheek and passed his hand over his face. Blackish liquid flowed through his fingers and formed a daemonic helmet, as Drautos gripped his sword firmly. "It would appear that the son is as cowardly as his father. Hiding as others throw their lives away for some foolish idea of peace," he sneered.

Nyx growled angrily, about to snark back at the man who dared question Noctis' strength. Instead lightning cut through the air. Nyx watched with glee as Crowe's favorite spell ripped into Drautos with a vengeance. Crowe didn't let up as she walked over; lightning jumping from her hands and forcing Drautos to take one step backwards at a time.

Ignis was quick to appear beside them, even as Prompto continued to shoot at Drautos among the lightning strikes from Crowe. "Noctis! Nyx! We must take him down quickly." Noctis glanced around and spotted Ravus leaning heavily on the wall by the elevator doors. He gave a quick nod and turned back to the fight.

Nyx met Crowe's eye and grinned. She nodded, a similar grin on her face. "Crowe and I will keep his attention on us. The three of you wait for an opportunity to take him down in one shot. Understood?" The younger trio nodded and Nyx didn't waste time.

He warped in quick succession, keeping his movement as random as he could until he got close enough to appear behind the General. Nyx pushed himself off the moment he materialized, kukris aimed at the darker patches in between the plates of the armor.

Nyx doesn't get close. The moment Nyx moved, Drautos forwent shielding himself from Crowe's magic and grabbed Nyx by the neck. The world turned upside down and Nyx found himself breathless as he was rammed into the ground. "NYX!" Why was Crowe shouting?

Nyx tried to take a deep breath and couldn't. Blood filled his mouth. The metallic taste was overwhelming and familiar. He dropped his eyes to his chest and watched in a daze as Drautos pulled his sword out of his chest. He watched as Drautos suddenly stumbled, a dagger in his chest acting as lightning rod and allowing Crowe to pierce the armor.

Nyx watched as Drautos' head snapped back suddenly, part of the helmet sheared off by one of Prompto's special bullets. He watched as Noct warped at the suddenly-exposed flesh and made the General roar in pain.

Blue filled his sight and Nyx could breathe again, panting as he nodded his thanks to Prompto and got back to his feet. Drautos had a hand pressed against the deep cut Noctis had made, blood pouring steadily between clenched fingers. For a moment, Nyx wondered why Crowe wasn't attacking anymore; but then he spotted Noctis' raised hand.

The King of Lucis was tense as he watched Drautos stagger back a few feet. "Surrender now, General Glauca." It's a request stated as a command. And Nyx felt like he was falling in love with the young man all over again.

Titus Glauca Drautos growled, dropping his hand away from his face back to his sword. The injury Noctis gave him is a long cut that goes from forehead to chin in a slight angle that passes through his right eye. "Why you little…" Something fell from above and suddenly Drautos was completely out of sight.

"Ifrit's…" Crowe started then stops as the metal wall dropped down. They didn't have time to wonder what was going on for long, as Gladio suddenly appeared with Luna and Pelna.

"Noct! Prompto! Ignis! Are you all alright?" Gladio demanded as he gripped Noctis' arm tightly, his eyes roaming to check on each of his boyfriends before relaxing.

Gladio jumped back into the hall, grunting as his shoulder hit the wall. He heard two pairs of footsteps coming up behind him, but his attention was on the mech that stood between him and his King. A speaker sizzled to life, "Filthy curs!" and the words were followed by a spray of bullets.

Gladio summoned his shield in a hurry, the strength of the gun firing at such close range forcing him back step by step until suddenly it stopped. Pelna's magical barrier was set right in front of the muzzle, and the mech was forced to stop unless it wanted to be riddled by its own ricochet.

Luna stopped beside him, her eyes fixed on the mech as she said, "That crest belongs to house Ulldor, so that would be Caligo Ulldor. A pompous fool who relies on his Magitek Armors to win fights." Luna glanced over to Gladio, making sure he was okay before she added, "Noctis should be okay. He has the others with him; so calm down and focus on him."

Gladio forced himself to take some deep breaths as Ulldor started ranting. Luna is right; he has to trust his friends to take care of Noctis until they get there. He turned to Pelna, "Pel, you're the experienced one. How do we take this thing down quick?" He traded his shield for his greatsword.

Pelna shifted in place, "Magitek Armor has exhaust ports we can use to make it overheat and shut down. Electricity works too. If we can't do that, then sheer damage to its armor will do." Gladio grinned and resettled his sword as he eyed the mech with impatience.

Luna smiled beside him. "I think we can do that." Gladio nodded.

Pelna counted down from three and allowed his barrier to fade. Luna used her magic to fill the hall with bright light, one that Gladio knew would blind their enemy. He rushed forward and brought his greatsword down with all his strength. The metal of the mech's arm gave a satisfying crunch and bent under the pressure.

Pelna followed up, lightning streaking from his hand and causing sparks to fly. The speaker of the mech flitted on and off, cutting off Ulldor's near-continuous rant. Gladio hefted his sword back up and brought it back down, aiming for the same area again. With Luna keeping Ulldor blinded and unable to aim while Pelna prevented the guns from firing properly, it was easy to duck under the flailing mechanical limbs to get at his target.

Now that he was closer, Gladio could make out pipes exiting from the back of what was likely the cockpit area. Those were his targets, and his sword had enough weight that they bent easily. He hissed as burning steam burst out from one, jumping back as his skin reddened almost instantly. Ulldor screamed from within the mech.

"Gladio!" The warning came just in time for him to raise his sword as a makeshift shield. Ulldor, unable to see and likely in horrible pain as heat became trapped in the cockpit, sent his mech's upper body into a wild spin. One of the arms clipped Gladio, sending him flying away from the hall and into the warehouse. He rolled several times before coming to a stop and getting back to his feet.

Pelna and Luna ran towards him with the mech following slowly. Ulldor had popped the hatch of the cockpit, exposing himself to the much colder air, and making himself a visible target in red and gold. Gladio wished he was as good of a shot as Prompto; it would have been easy for his boyfriend to take out the soldier.

Since Prompto wasn't there, Gladio raised his sword, his grip tight enough to hold his sword but not so tight as to hinder his reflexes. He gauged the timing carefully as Luna and Pelna swept by him, both wearing confident expressions as they twisted right behind the Shield and sent a new wave of magic at Ulldor.

Gladio grinned as he roared, ignoring the threat of the guns and hissing metal bearing down at him. He trusted Luna. He trusted Pelna. They wouldn't let Ulldor hurt him. Gladio concentrated all of his energy into a single swing of his greatsword.

The blade cut through the air, hit metal and kept going. Gladio pushed through the resistance with a renewed shout until his blade swung free of metal and hit the floor.

Ulldor screamed in denial of his loss, even as the arm and leg severed by Gladio drop noisily to the ground with a few twitches. "How dare you? You'll pay for this mockery! By the house Ulldor, I will see you beg me to die!" Gladio sees Pelna gather magic in preparation of a large spell guaranteed to finish the blustery fool once and for all.

"Now, now Brigadier. Surely you must know that an Amicitia never begs. You were there, after all." Chancellor Izunia's voice appeared out of nowhere. Ulldor looked shocked as his mech suddenly acted without his input. The mech jumped up and disappeared among the rafters of the ceiling, Ulldor's scream trailing off as it did.

Gladio, Luna and Pelna were shocked motionless for a second; both by the sudden disappearance of their enemy, and by the interference of Niflheim's Chancellor. They're jarred back to the present when a slab of metal dropped down from where Ulldor had disappeared. Gladio jerked Luna out of the way, then hurried to check on his King and his boyfriends.

Luna looked at Noctis' group, saw that they didn't need her right away, and rushed to hug Ravus as tightly as she could. Ravus' breath caught as he returned the hug weakly. Neither mention the tears running down their faces or the sobs that fill the air. None of that matters. They're together again and nothing was going to keep them apart.

The others kept their distance to give the siblings a bit of privacy. Ignis let Pelna and Gladio know what they had found on the 19th floor. Gladio returned the favor, letting Prompto know about Cor's condition; but he asked that the comment from the Chancellor not be repeated to Iris. Thinking about it sent shards of helpless anger through his veins.

Gladio turned his attention to Prompto; he would deal with it later. The angry and exasperated look that filled the normally-cheerful gunner's face was expected as was his muttered, "I'm going to throttle him."

They didn't dare stay too long. Time was ticking down and with two injured members, it was going to be slow going. Pelna headed back to guide Libertus, Iris and Cor over. He stopped on the way back at the control centre to fiddle with something before catching up.

Noct smiled in relief when he saw Cor, banged and bruised but alive. He looked around quickly and nodded to himself. "I'd love to have a longer reunion, but it'll have to wait for later. Gladio, grab Ravus. Pelna, Libs; help Cor." They didn't waste much time in getting back to the hangar.

The elevator wasn't large enough for all of them, so Ignis led them to the emergency stairs. "We will have to find a way to get past the guards still in place," Ignis stated as he glanced into the hangar with care.

Pelna grinned, resettling Cor's arm over his shoulder. "Already took care of that." He carefully dropped his hand into his pocket and took out his phone. Pelna pulled up the program he needed and tapped once to get it started. Alarms blared loudly through the speakers as well as a pre-recorded message.

Pelna nodded, satisfied as they watched what seems like all the guards head away from their position. "The exit should only be guarded by 2 MTs. Shall we?" Pelna tilted his head slightly.

Noctis shook his own head and laughed, "Show off." He smiled as he led the way, still cautious. Like Pelna said, the only Niflheim soldiers they encountered are the two MTs who are quickly dealt with.

Stepping into the sun has both Ravus and Cor wincing. Luna cast a worried glance at them. She and Prompto slipped their uniform jackets off and draped them over Cor and Ravus. The sun would irritate the scourge and make it grow faster.

The rest of the base was still quiet. Ignis checked the time and sighed in relief. They still had half an hour before the anesthetics wear off. Aranea's airship was a welcome sight, as was seeing the mercenary arguing with Lance.


	42. Chapter 42

Prompto gave a small sigh of relief at seeing his dad. "Dad! Aranea!" he said loudly, giving them a one-handed wave when they looked over.

Lance had a wide smile on his face as he took in the returning group. He strode over without a single word, sweeping Prompto into a tight hug as soon as he could.

"Dad?" Prompto squeaked in surprise.

Lance took a step back, still holding unto his son. "She's alive! Sylva is alive!" He said, voice shaking with emotion.

"What?" Several voices said almost simultaneously as they all stared at Prompto's dad.

Lance nodded, "I thought I saw her last night. I'm sorry for leaving without a word but I had to check first." He shook his head slightly, the side of his eyes crinkling in joy. "She knew I was going to do it and left us a letter. But… let's get out of here first okay?" Lance glance over at Cor and Ravus as he spoke.

It was obvious that Prompto, Cor, Ravus and Luna wanted to ask questions but the rest of the group quickly ushered them to the airship. Aranea showed them to the infirmary before leaving to get them off the ground.

Noctis stepped back once he had helped Ravus onto a bed and asked, "Where do we go now?" Lestallum was still under Imperial martial law as far as they knew.

After a few seconds of heavy silence, Cor said, "Cape Caem. It's an old, abandoned outpost and should not be on any map or list." He looked over at Libertus, who nodded and left without a word.

It didn't take long before they could feel the airship rumble and rise beneath them. As Lance helped Luna, Ignis and Pelna distribute potions as well as take care of any other injury, he was brought up to date on what had happened while they had been separated.

Lance sighed as he heard, and saw, Cor's Scourge infection. Luna would deal with it after resting. As soon as his dad was up to date, Prompto fairly demanded, "So? Where's mom? Is she alright?"

Lance smiled. "I don't know and I think so." He pulled out a dark brown piece of paper and handed it over to Prompto. "She left me tracks to follow until I found this letter and some papers with coded messages. She seemed alright on the security tapes but I don't know if she had any injuries."

Prompto nodded at his dad's explanation before turning his attention to the letter. He cleared his throat and read:

 _Hello dearests,_

 _I must first apologize for not contacting anyone before this. Things have been rather busy for me but I am alive and plan on staying that way._

 _I do not have the time or leisure to recount how I survived the invasion. It will have to wait until we are truly reunited._

 _For now, I shall only say that I miss you all very much. Please look after each other, especially Ravus (stubborn as he is, he will need to be reminded to rest and recover before going back to fight)._

 _I am following up on something I overheard the Emperor order but I hope to find my way back to all of you soon. I look forward to seeing your smiles once more._

 _With all my love and care,_

 _Sylva._

Prompto finished reading the letter with a shaking voice. His eyes were watery as he dropped his hand and tilted his head back. A warm, comforting hand comes to gently massage his neck and Prompto smiled gratefully at Gladio.

Cor sighed loudly, "That's definitely from her." Lance glance over only to frown as he saw Cor shivering.

"Cor?" The inquiry had Cor shrugging and burrowing deeper into the blankets. Lance got up, looking around the room with a soft expression. "You should all get some rest. I'll keep Aranea company." There was some grumbling at being sent to bed like children but seeing as both Cor and Ravus dropped to sleep the moment after closing their eyes, no one could really argue against it.

The trip to Cape Caem passed by quietly. A welcomed respite after the tumultuous last few days. Lance kept Aranea company while the rest of the group recovered. They arrived in sight of the cape's lighthouse shortly before sunset.

As Aranea brought the airship down by the cliffside, Lance went to wake those still asleep. Cor and Ravus were still exhausted, though in better mood after resting a bit. As Gladio and Libertus helped them up, Ignis and Prompto left the airship to take a look at the rundown outpost nestled at the bottom of the tower.

Ignis pressed his lips together tightly when they found the thick cover of dust on every surface. "This will not do at all," he said, shaking his head and indicating Prompto to open all the windows.

He headed upstairs to check what lay there. The first room after the stairs was a mouldy-smelling bathroom. Ignis hurried through the inch of dust to open the window on the other end of the room. On his way back, he opened all the taps, wincing as they groaned and spit out dirty water.

The second room was a bedroom; two twin beds coated in just as much dust as the rest of the outpost. Ignis sighed; at least there were usable beds. He heard the heavy steps of Gladio entering the building with the rest of the group. "Up here!" he said loudly.

Ignis waited until he heard a confirmation before starting to strip the beds. He opened the windows and used the outside wall to beat as much dust as he could out of them. Ignis was contemplating doing the same with the beds themselves when Gladio and Nyx showed up.

"Need any help, Specs?" asked Nyx.

Ignis turned to them with a frown. "Where are Cor and Ravus?" he asked, instead of answering.

Nyx shot Gladio an amused look before straightening from where he had been leaning against the doorway. "Downstairs; everyone is starving so Prompto and Libertus are getting ready to cook." He added quickly at the sight of Ignis' worry, "They're using the camping equipment."

Ignis nodded. "I see. Well then, I supposed you can both help me clean the rooms up here up then. We can use the bedrolls until we can clean the blankets properly." Ignis tilted his head towards the beds.

Between the three of them, they were able to dust off the beds and blankets in the three bedrooms. The two other bedrooms held four beds each. It still wasn't enough beds for everyone, even with Aranea and her crew no longer with them, but they would be able to manage.

The trio went back down just in time to see Luna glaring at her brother across the table. "What now?" Ignis said with a sigh. Prompto was looking frantically between the two siblings while Libertus stayed out of the way.

A glance around the area showed that they were the only ones there. A spark of worry had Ignis giving Gladio a meaningful glance. The Shield nodded and left to go find their charge and the rest of the group.

Nyx sauntered over to the table and asked, "What's going on?"

Luna kept glaring at Ravus as she replied, "Ravus is refusing to let me take a look at his arm!" And then pointed at Cor, "And this idiot doesn't want me healing him yet!" She folded her arms across her chest.

Nyx blinked several times before rounding to stare at the two men. Before he could open his mouth to ask anything Ravus growled and pointed back at his sister with a shaking finger. "You are in no shape to heal either of us Luna! You haven't been resting properly at all and healing us would kill you even more!" Both Nox Fleurets glared at each other.

Nyx looked over to Ignis, seeing the same stunned surprise there as he felt. "You…." He sighed and turned to Libertus instead of dealing with two hard-headed siblings. "Is the food ready?" He said instead.

Libertus shook his head, "Not all of it. We have some stuff but Noctis insisted on going fishing for supper." He gestured towards the ocean vaguely.

Libertus placed what he had managed to make with Prompto's help on the table. With a bit of prompting from the cook, they all ate a bit.

Ignis sighed as he ate. Of course Noct would go fishing. "Then perhaps a shower would be an appropriate way to spend the time until they return?" The water should be clean now. Luna visibly hesitated before slowly nodding as she cast one last glare at her brother.

Ignis showed Lunafreya the bathroom, smiling as he saw that the water was indeed useable now. He summoned some towels before leaving her to it. Ignis had some of the food sent to the rest of their group. Ravus and Cor both followed her example though they were both still too unsteady to do so alone. Lance returned in time to offer his help while Prompto helped Ravus.

Noctis was able to catch several large striped barramundis and Libertus recruited Gladio into helping him grill them. The supper was completed with some stir-fry veggies and rice. It was light enough for even Cor and Ravus to eat without worries.

There was little conversation as they ate; everyone was still exhausted from the events. They would have to talk about what to do eventually, especially concerning Cor's and Ravus' exposure to the Scourge, but Ignis and Nyx were able to get Lunafreya to wait another day before attempting anything.

It didn't take long before they all went to bed in the old outpost. The glaives chose to sleep together in one room while Luna would stay with Iris, Lance, Cor and Ravus. Ignis slipped into the room he was to share with his boyfriends, and smiled at the sight of Prompto cuddling with Gladio and Noctis in one of the two small beds.

Noctis grinned lazily as he waved Ignis over. "Hey Specs. Is everything okay?" He reached up to pull his advisor into a kiss gently.

Ignis allowed Noctis to pull him down, temporarily ignoring the awkward position he ended up in in favor of returning the kiss. He felt Gladio's hand come to play in his hair. He heard Prompto's soft laughter as Ignis deepened the kiss.

Minutes passed by blissfully until Ignis winced as his back cramped. He straightened and carefully stretched. Gladio racked his gaze over Ignis as he carefully untangled himself from the cuddle pile. The unspoken invitation for a massage was clear as Gladio lumbered over to the free bed and extended a hand towards Ignis.

As Ignis smiled gratefully and moved over, Noctis pulled Prompto closer and repeated his earlier question. "You didn't answer me, Specs. Is everything alright?" The king nuzzled against Prompto lazily.

Ignis sighed as he stripped, "Just tired, Noct. We have managed to rescue Cor and Ravus, despite fierce opposition, but there is still much to do and figure out." He allowed Gladio to guided him face down as he spoke. It felt nice to have Gladio's big warm hands soothe away the stress from his muscles.

Noctis shared an exasperated look with Prompto. Ignis' words were all too familiar. He had often shouldered the brunt of any work, more so than any other despite their attempts to help him relax and delegate. It seemed like the stress of the situation had made him fall back into bad habits.

Noct turned his head to look at Ignis being pampered like he deserved, "We'll be fine, Specs. You don't have to try and handle everything alone. We're supposed to do this together." He smiled widely. Prompto and Gladio both added their voices to it. Ignis made a sleepy noise of agreement. He was already drifting off under Gladio's ministrations.


	43. Chapter 43

Noctis woke the next morning when Prompto slipped out of bed. He groaned, ignoring the huffed laughter, and pulled the covers higher before falling back into slumber. The second time he woke up, Noctis was alone and knew something was wrong.

His body was heavy, his thoughts thought of getting up to eat, even though he knew he was hungry, seemed overwhelming. His depression was back.

Noctis turned onto his back and stared at the mold-touched ceiling. Of all the times for his depression to sneak back into his life… Though to be fair, Noctis had been expecting this to happen. Everything that had happened over the past few weeks had been so stressful and hurried, that it made sense for him to get depressed the moment he felt safe and without a immediate concern.

He needed to get his pills. He needed to get up and grab them. They were just in his bag by the door. That's where Ignis always put them. It was so far and he was so tired. Noctis closed his eyes, maybe he would feel like he could after sleeping some more.

A warm hand carded through his hair. "Noctis." He opened his eyes blearily and stared blankly at Ignis' hand and the small familiar pill bottle nestled there. "There you go. I brought you some water and some toast. Can you help me to sit you up?" Noctis nodded slowly. If Ignis helped, then he could do anything.

The toast didn't taste like anything but it was food. Ignis kept touching him during it all, a soft hand rubbing his leg slowly. Once Noctis was done eating and drinking everything Ignis had brought him, he reached over and tugged Ignis closer. The smile he received was loving and patient, understanding of his struggle in a way that was uniquely Specs.

Noct allowed himself to be shifted around until he had his back pressed against the warmth of Ignis' chest. He must have missed a bit of time since Ignis had a book in hand and was reading from it out loud. Noctis sighed and closed his eyes.

He was so lucky to have such a wonderful and dedicated person by his side. One who supported his moods and loved him nonetheless. Someone who didn't care that he was such a useless burden… Noctis shook his head a bit. This was wrong, he wasn't a burden. He just needed some help from time to time, like anyone else.

Noctis forced himself to concentrate on Ignis' voice. On the arm wrapped around him and on the love he knew Ignis held for him.

He woke up a third time a while later, feeling a bit better. Still tired and sluggish, but he no longer felt like getting up was an impossible task. Noctis looked up and was met with Ignis' smile. It took him a few seconds to gather the energy to say "Thanks" but he managed it.

His effort was rewarded with a soft chuckle and gentle touch as Ignis returned the greeting. "Good day, Noctis. Are you feeling better?" Noctis nodded. He allowed Ignis to help him get up, shower and dress before they both walked down to the now-clean living room.

Cor was lounging on a sofa, one of Gladio's books in hand. He looked a lot better than the previous day. Still pale and with bags under his eyes, but there were no scourge marks left on his arms, only grey scars.

"Luna spent the morning healing him. She is resting and will have a look at Ravus afterwards." Ignis told him quietly as he was guided to sit on another sofa. "Prompto and Pelna are taking a look at the arm while Luna is resting. They said it seemed self-contained but we won't know how far the infection has spread until Luna can check for herself." Noctis nodded mutely. "Gladio and the others are sparring at the moment." Ignis added.

Cor left them alone after a quick greeting, diving back into the novel and giving Noct the space he needed. It was nice to just exist for a bit, drinking in the presence of his friends without needing to think or act. The sound of metal against metal was almost always followed by cheers and laughter. Prompto's voice mixed with Pelna's and Ravus' drifting on the breeze.

The day past languidly and without a fuss. Everyone kept busy in one way or another, mostly just enjoying each other's company as hours ticked by. Luna woke up in the late afternoon, still looking exhausted but determined to at least check on her brother and Cor before returning to her room to rest some more.

Prompto dropped by to sit with Noctis for a bit, chatting softly with his uncle as he played with his hair. Noctis half-listened as Prompto told Cor about Ravus' arm. A lot of the words went over his head but Noctis managed to grasp that it was somehow magically bonded to Ravus, making it impossible to remove without some serious medical equipment and magic.

That wasn't very good news, but at least the scourge wasn't spreading outside of the areas already infected. Noctis shifted so he could see the doors on the second floor and dimly wondered if the Ring of the Lucii might have been able to, or might be of, help. He frowned - what had happened to the Ring? He knew Niflheim had been looking for it but had someone found it already?

These thoughts simmered in his mind as Ignis, Libertus and Gladio made supper for everyone, and when Prompto left to grab Ravus and Luna from upstairs while Noct helped distribute plates and utensils. They stayed there while they all ate together, Noctis allowing the conversations to simply wash over him without really participating in it.

In the end, it kind of slipped out of him. "What happened to you in Insomnia?" It wasn't really what he wanted to know. Well yes, he did want to know what happened to Ravus but he knew it wasn't an easy subject to bring up.

The silence was heavy in the moments after the question. Ravus stared at Noctis, body tense and his hand shaking lightly around the water glass. It hits Noct that it's too much and too soon for Ravus, and with good reason. "Sorry, not what I meant to ask at all…." Noct says softly.

He considers his next words carefully and tries again, "I was… I was just thinking about what Prompto said about your arm. And well, would I be able to help if I had the Ring?" He rubs the back of his neck, "I know Niflheim was looking for it but we have no clue what happened to it at all. And well…. Do you know anything?" He can't bring himself to look at Ravus.

There is a chorus of sighs from everywhere in the room and then Noctis hears Ravus sit down heavily. "I see." His voice is shaky. Noctis glances between his bangs and sees Luna and Prompto standing on either side of Ravus, hands resting gently on his shoulders.

Ravus looks over at Cor for a moment before he starts speaking again. "I… I'm afraid I won't be of much help, Noctis. I never made it to your father during the attack. I… I'm sorry." Ravus seemed to fold on himself the more he spoke until Luna dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around her brother tightly.

Noctis swallowed twice before he managed to find his voice among the guilt in his mind. "I…. There's nothing for you to apologize for, Ray-Ray. I should be the one apologizing for pushing you. Sorry." He pushes himself to his feet and moves to stop hesitantly in front of Ravus. He can see the way Ravus is shaking. He screwed up again. He turns around and heads straight to their room. He can't handle this right now.

It's one of those rare nights where Noctis can't seem to fall asleep, despite being so tired and, well, depressed. Gladio's arm is draped over his waist, keeping him warm and letting him feel safe, but it does nothing to stop the thoughts running through his head.

He shifts onto his back and stares at the ceiling blankly. The moonlight is streaming through the ratty curtains, illuminating the dust still floating around. He slips an arm out from under the covers and reaches for the ceiling. The dim light is still enough for Noctis to see Carbuncle's mark on his arm.

The red mark looked like blood. Actually! Noctis jerked out of bed as blood poured from his mark. "Shit! What the?" He is floating above the bed, looking down at himself. "What in the Six is going on?" He's floating higher and higher, passing through the ceiling and the roof without any control of where he's going or why.

Noctis tries to summon a weapon. It disintegrates the moment he touches it. He tries to summon a flask but finds the same thing happening again. The mark is now throbbing with pain and his forearm is dripping blood.

A sharp chime pierces through Noct's panic as the moon turns bright red over him.

 _Noctis blinks his eyes several times before he can take in his surroundings. He is standing in the throne room of the Citadel. Broken glass litters the floor. Blood stains are splattered all over the place, the biggest one on the throne itself. There is a body there. Just sitting on the throne, motionless. A sword sticks out of the person's chest._

 _Noctis takes a step forward. Then another and another until he is standing in front of the corpse. The head shifts. Noctis' breath catches in his throat. For a moment he thinks he's looking at his dad but… It isn't. Noctis stares at his own lifeless face, looking much older with a scruffy beard and scruffier hair._

 _He can't move or look away. He stares at himself and his corpse stares back. A sharp pain explodes on his arm. He is nowhere and everywhere. He is falling. He is flying._

 _Noctis lands awkwardly on all fours. He is surrounded by swirling lights and is standing on emptiness. It's dizzying to look at and yet so entrancing that Noctis can't not look. A twinge from Carbuncle's mark and Noctis hesitantly calls out for his smaller friend. "Carbuncle?"_

 _A shrill sound and Noctis relaxes a bit as a spot of white and red approaches until it forms the minor astral. Carbuncle chirps and this time Noctis' phone chimes with the translation._ _ **Hello Noctis. I'm sorry you had to see that. Bahamut is a bit angry right now and it's affecting the Crystal.**_

 _Noctis reads it with a frown, "What do you mean Bahamut is angry? And what did I just see?" He can still taste the blood in the air from whatever that was. He wants to know what happened._

 _Carbuncle steps up to Noctis and rubs his arm gently._ _**I'm sorry Noctis. I'm not allowed to tell you anything more. I wish I could. You should ask Lunafreya about it. She can answer your questions.**_ _The astral mets Noctis eyes and adds,_ _ **I'll make sure you're safe for the next few days so get plenty of rest okay?**_ _Before Noctis can answer or react, Carbuncle's crystal sheds a bright red light and everything is swallowed by it._

Noct opens his eyes and jerks upright. It's morning, sunlight brightening the room and chasing away the last fading sensations of the nightmarish vision. Noct slumps against his knees and forces his breaths into something calmer.

He needs to find Luna. She should be up by now but where he would find her is another question. Noctis slips out of bed and gets dressed with the first things he finds. It's not like Ignis will mind if he borrows some socks after all.

A bark draws his attention away from his struggle to get dressed. Umbra sits by the door with a lopsided grin and barks again when Noct turns his attention to the messenger. Noctis smiled, "Guess you're going to guide me to Luna?" The bark is answer enough. Time to go have a chat with Luna about Astrals and Nightmares.

A/N: I have a plan concerning Episode Gladio that links into this AU but I'm unsure as to whether I should add it directly into Bahamut or post it as a separate but connected fic. What would you prefer?


	44. Chapter 44

Noctis follows Umbra down the stairs. Most of their group are gathered in the kitchen but Luna and Ravus are absent. He waves a general good morning as he keeps pace with his furry guide and ignores the questioning looks sent his way.

Umbra leads Noctis up to the lighthouse and into the elevator. He noses at the buttons and barks excitedly when Noct's finger hovers over the top one. The elevator ride is slightly jerky, testament of its age, but Noct doesn't worry about his safety. Instead his mind wanders to what he should ask Luna.

Noctis still isn't sure what to say when the elevator door open again and he steps out. He frowns when no padded footsteps follow him and glances back into an empty metal case. He sighs and shakes his head. Messengers.

It doesn't take long to find the siblings on the small balcony over seeing the sea. Ravus and Luna are leaning against each other as they look out into the sea. They look so peaceful that Noct considers leaving them alone for a few seconds. It's not a good idea though; Noctis knows that if he doesn't do it now then he'll have a hard time doing it at all.

"Good morning," Noctis calls out carefully.

Ravus and Luna turn around with a surprised jerk, pulling out of their thoughts by the greeting. Luna smiles and steps away from her brother, arms raising up in an invitation for him to come closer. "Good morning Noctis. How are you feeling?"

Noctis returned the smile and walked over to grab her hands, squeezing the gently as he answered. "Okay. What about both of you? Ravus?" He turned to look at the older man.

Ravus hesitates a moment before stepping closer. "I'm doing fine." He frowns as he stares down at Noctis. "It is odd for you to be awake so early especially considering your state yesterday. Is there something on your mind?"

Noct meets Ravus' gaze for a moment then looks at Luna. He turns words in his mind for a bit longer. Takes a deep breath and says, "I saw myself a few years older and dead on the Throne of the Lucii last night. And Carbuncle told me that Bahamut is angry." He watches as Luna's eyes widen and she takes a step back, slipping her hands out of his as she turns away.

Noctis frowns. "Luna, are you hiding something from me?" The sudden wince is answer enough. Noctis presses forward. "I know I'm supposed to be the Chosen King but no one has ever told me what I'm supposed to do exactly." He waits a moment, giving Luna a chance to say something but she doesn't. "Please, Luna. Talk to me?"

Ravus steps closer to his sister, his human arm coming to wrap around her shoulders. Noctis can't hear what he says to her, but it makes Luna's shoulders slump. She glances over her shoulder at Noctis, her eyes glistening in the morning glow. It takes several more minutes before she finally turns to face Noctis again.

"Very well Noctis. Perhaps it is time to tell you about the prophecy and what exactly Bahamut asks of us." She motions for Noctis to follow her, Ravus trailing behind as well. "It is something everyone should be aware of if they are to continue traveling with us." Noctis shares a concerned gaze with Ravus before following behind Luna's tense and straight back.

Lunafreya, Oracle of the Six and Speaker for the Astrals, finished telling her friends and family the Truth of the Prophecy of the Chosen King. She kept her gaze on Noctis even as Gladio roared his anger and Ignis started asking questions about her words. Her heart went out to them.

She understood their anger and disbelief. She wished she could give them another path but Gentiana had been clear. The only way to destroy the Scourge and free Eos of its blight was through the sacrifice of the King chosen by the Crystal.

"Noctis?" she asked softly as he stayed worryingly silent. When Noctis lifted his eyes to meet with Luna, she found herself surprised by what she saw in them.

Noctis took a deep breath and allowed himself to feel his emotions without judgement. It was difficult to learn he was supposed to die in the next few years; to learn that his dad had been aware of his fate since Noct was a mere child; to learn that he wouldn't see Prompto, Ignis or Gladio grow old by his side as he aged was incredibly painful, frustrating and depressing.

Was there really nothing he could do? No other way to save the world and his people?

No. No. No. No. And NO!

Noctis wasn't going to allow that to happen! Lunafreya and his dad had known about his preordained death for years and found no other way but...But….But! They hadn't told anyone else about it! They didn't ask Ignis for alternatives. They hadn't talked with Prompto about crazy, might-just-work ideas. They didn't get Gladio to consider how to fight differently.

Noctis raised his eyes to meet Luna's with grim determination. "Thank you for telling us. Is there anything else we should know?" He asked gently, knowing that this was hard for her too. Ravus looked absolutely devastated and strangely resigned by her side.

"There is." Cor said suddenly from his seat, an arm around a crying Iris. The Marshall looked over at Gladio with a carefully blank expression. "There is a trial that Gladio must complete as the Chosen King's Shield."

Noctis cast a worried, confused look at his boyfriend before returning his attention to Cor. "What do you mean Cor?"

The Marshall had a pained and pinched expression as he told told them about the Tempering Grounds within the Taelpar Crag. He looked downright uncomfortable when Nyx said, "That's how you got your nickname?", but he nodded nonetheless.

Gladio leaned back on his chair and groaned, "Ifrit's ass!" His hands were curled into fist, his knuckles white against his tan as he struggled to put his feelings into words. "This is….. Ifrit's ass! What do we do?" His question was directed to Ignis, who had fallen silent.

The Royal Adviser and group strategist had tucked his chin into his hand as Cor spoke. Now he straightened to his full height and turned to Lunafreya and her brother. "We start by learning more of what the Astrals have in mind for Noctis." He paused briefly, "Lunafreya, you said that Noctis had to make covenants with the Astrals, which might likely kill you, before claiming the power of the Crystal correct?"

Luna nodded, "Yes. Gentiana told me that Noctis needed the strength of the Astrals in order to absorb all of the power from the Crystal of the Lucii." She frowned slightly as she scoured her memories for the slightest bit of helpful information. "I believe Bahamut lies asleep with the Crystal as well, waiting for the Chosen King to arrive in front of him."

Ignis hummed thoughtfully, "Then what would happen if Noctis failed to make such covenants? Would he still be able to absorb the Crystal's power without them?"

Luna shook her head, "From what I understand, he could still absorb part of the Crystal's power but without all the Blessings he would fail to destroy the blight staining Eos."

Prompto raised a hand hesitantly. "Umm…. What about the vaccine?" He lowered his hand to fiddle with his shirt, explaining a bit more clearly as he noticed the confused gazes sent his way. "Well… The Prophecy was made a long, long time ago right? And Dad said that Shiva was quite surprised that Mom managed to create a cure for the Scourge so…. Would Noct really need to absorb all of the Crystal's power to destroy what's left of the Scourge?"

Luna stared at Prompto blankly before dropping her head into cupped hands with a groan. Lance chuckled from beside his son, "You hadn't even considered the effect of the Cure on the Prophecy." He smiled mildly and suggested, "Let's find out. We can simply ask the messengers and the Astrals right?"

As though called by Lance's words, Gentiana stepped out of the doorway and came to stand beside her Lady. "The Messenger answers the lady`s call." Luna mumbled something unintelligible into her hands. It drew laughter to see the rare display of awkward embarrassment from Luna. Even Gentiana looked amused in her own serene way.

Luna lifted her head out of her hands and glared at everyone around before straightening back into the sofa. She looked over to Gentiana and asked, "How did the cure made by Sylva Argentum affect the Prophecy?" There was a heavy, expectant silence as they all waited for an answer.

Gentiana turned her enigmatic smile towards the two Argentums present before she responded. "The Six gave the Crystal to the Line of the Lucii to save Eos from the Blight. Yet Man exceeded the expectations of the Six and found a way to keep the Blight back. The lady asks how this affects the Prophecy? The Prophecy is ordained by the Six and cannot be ignored. It must be fulfilled."

The words left a heavy sadness behind them but Gentiana wasn't done. The Messenger shifted to look at the Chosen King and opened her eyes, allowing Noctis to feel the full weight of her words. "But not all the Astrals agree with the Prophecy. Some wish to see all thrive on Eos, even the Chosen King and his chosen companions. O Chosen King of the Stone, you have forged covenants and gained many Blessings. Your chosen companions have created new possibilities. It is up to you to use those as you will. You _can_ forge your own path."

Gentiana bowed slightly and disappeared before anyone could really react to her words. Noctis stared at the suddenly empty space and sighed. "Is she always that cryptic?" He said, shaking his head.

The question sent Luna into a short fit of laughter. As she wiped her eyes and leaned into Ravus' warmth, she nodded with a vaguely amused smile. "Unfortunately. Mother said she had never met a messenger who wasn't." Her expression dropped into a more somber one. "This is the first time I hear that the Astrals disagree about the Prophecy. Even the Tidemother agrees with it and She dislikes us very much."

Noctis sighed, "So we have some Astrals who don't care if the Prophecy actually happens the way Bahamut wants it too. I'm guessing that Ramuh and Carbuncle are among them but is there anyone else who would help us?"

Luna hummed and said, "Shiva would most likely help as well. And perhaps Titan can be convinced but we would have to summon him again to be certain of it." The thought of dealing with the Archean once more brought a grimace to Noctis' face. He'd rather not.

Ignis spoke up, "At least we have an answer. It would appear that the cure did impact the Prophecy." He nodded to himself, it opened the possibility of finding a way to save Noctis after all.

Ravus frowned from his seat. He looked at his sister as he said, "But Gentiana also said that the Prophecy must happen. So in the end it changes nothing."

Prompto shook his head, his smile brightening the room easily. "But it does! After all, the Prophecy is about destroying the Scourge right? So as long as that happens then the Prophecy will be fulfilled! Noct and Luna won't need to die!"

His optimism was catching as Nyx snorted from where he had been standing and said, "The kiddo's right, there's no need to follow a plan made ages ago when the situations changed so much. The only daemons that are causing trouble are the ones Niflheim sends into the field." He grinned confidently, "We know what needs to be done. Kick Niflheim out of Lucis and grab the Crystal back. We can worry about the details after."

No one disagreed.


	45. Chapter 45

A/N: Sorry for the wait. I'm having health trouble and that makes it hard for me to write. Please be patient with me as I work through it.

A week passed by before Cor and Gladio left Cape Caem to head to the Tempering ground. A week in which the four glaives had spent retrieving their cars while Gladio trained. A day later, Nyx took Crowe, Libertus and Pelna to go check the situation in Lestallum.

Prompto and Ignis were finishing the preparations with help from Dustin and Monica; both had arrived two days ago with Cid in tow. The grumpy old man had told them about the boat stored in the locked dock beneath the lighthouse. A quick visit had revealed a large boat in need of repairs but otherwise perfect for their eventual trip to Altissia.

And so, Noctis had decided to get the materials Cid needed to repair the ship. It was better than just waiting around doing nothing while Gladio, Cor, Nyx and the rest of the glaives were gone. Most of the stuff they would be able to find in Meldacio. Iris, having heard of Noctis' plans, had insisted on joining them as Noct's Shield while Gladio wasn't there.

The one item that might be harder to get was the mythril ore which Cid insisted they needed to fix part of the engine. Apparently it could be found somewhere in Vesperpool. Cid had given them the location of where he had found the original ore used to create the engine in the first place.

Noctis headed back inside to help finish packing. Luna and Ravus were a bit put-off by the fact they were being left behind, but neither of them could argue about it either. Ravus was still recovering and Luna needed to gather her strength after making two covenants and using her magic so much.

With the last bag stowed in the Regalia, they bid goodbye to the others and went off. Ignis drove as Prompto took pictures from the front seat. Iris hummed cheerfully as she watched the landscape pass by. Ignis glanced into the mirror at Noctis as he said, "Should we take a few hunts while we're at Meldacio?"

Noctis nodded. They were going to need money once they reach Altissia, and they were starting to run low with their recent adventures. He glanced over at Iris and smiled. It would be the first time Iris fought with the three of them as part of a quartet. He had no doubt she would do great.

The car ride lasted close to five hours before they arrived at the bustling hunter headquarters. Ignis carefully brought the Regalia to a stop by the caravan as a few hunters walked over. "Afternoon, folks. What bring you to these parts?" one of the hunters said, eyes looking at them with suspicions.

"We've been sent by Cid Sophiar to find some things he requires for a repair job. He told us we would be able to find most of what is needed here," Ignis replied lightly. Cid's name erased the suspicion in their eyes and the hunters were quick to point them towards the shop across the road.

Noctis and Ignis smiled indulgently as Prompto stopped every second step to take pictures of the rocks hanging over their head and of the outpost surrounding them. Even Iris gamely posed for the photographer as they moved towards the shop.

Ignis headed straight for the shopkeeper, the list of what Cid needed already in hand. He returned the greeting from the shopkeeper and started going through the list of materials they needed to get. "We need 3 dynamos, 6 coeurl whiskers as well as…" Ignis trailed off as a look of embarrassment crossed the shopkeeper's face.

"I apologise Sir, but we don't have any of those items in stock at the moment. Our last three deliveries were either confiscated by Niflheim or encountered beasts en route. Our deepest apologies," the shopkeeper explained.

Ignis frowned and glanced over to his companions. Noctis nodded slightly and stepped forward. "Maybe we can help then. Where did you lose the deliveries? We'll go find them and bring them back." Prompto and Iris both nodded their agreement.

The shopkeeper looked surprised, then grateful. "Really? Thank you." She grabbed a map from under the counter and quickly showed them the Niflheim checkpoint that had confiscated the deliveries. She also showed them where the hunters bringing the supplies had encountered beasts.

Ignis carefully marked the locations down before thanking the shopkeeper. Noctis led the way back outside and towards the Regalia. "Looks like we have another errand to run, eh Noct?" said Prompto as he jumped into the front seat.

Noctis simply smiled and nodded. He looked to Ignis. "Let's start by seeing if anything survived the beast attacks. I wonder what kind of beast it was?" Ignis nodded his understanding and guided the Regalia out of Meldacio along the road.

Iris chirped from the back, "It must have been quite something to scare off hunters!" Noctis chuckled at her expression. It was a lot like Gladio's when he saw a book that looked interesting or a strong opponent to fight. He said as much and grinned at the blush that spread across Iris' face.

The location where the beasts had attacked the supply car was in the Pallareth Pass. The road was flanked by hills on both sides but there was several areas that opened up for a short distance. It was at one of these areas that Ignis pulled over and said, "Here we are. We should be able to find traces of what happened and, hopefully, what remains of the supplies."

The four got out of the Regalia and started looking around. Iris stayed close to Noctis even as they spread out to search for clues. It turned out to be a good thing when a pair of sabertusks jumped down from above as Noctis was kneeling to check some pieces of wood.

"Watch out!" Iris shouts as she quickly put herself between Noctis and the sabertusks. A barrier of crystalline blue appeared around them even she drew her sword. The sabertusks thudded against the barrier with a whiny growl.

Iris gritted her teeth, "I can't hold it any longer Noct!"

Noctis was already on his feet, his own sword in hand. "Drop it then! There's only two...of...them…" Noctis' words fade out as numerous growls suddenly join the ones from the two sabertusks. "Shit."

Iris can't help the giggle at hearing Noctis swear like that but she doesn't let it distract her from her job. She drops her barrier with a small sigh of relief and gets ready for the fight. Ignis is already halfway to them, Prompto not far behind, when the pair of sabertusks attacked once more.

The bigger of the two sabertusks charged at Noctis, his razor sharp tusks bouncing from side to side as it aimed to gore Noctis with them. Iris was quick to act, and let the beast pass by her before twisting around. Her greatsword reflected the sunlight for a brief moment before it cut straight through the thick neck muscles.

The momentum it had gained was enough to keep the headless body moving forward a little longer. Iris swore as it ended up stopping on her while she wrenched her sword from the ground.

The second of the sabertusks took the opportunity of the seemingly weaker prey pinned by its dead companion. It uttered a terrifying howl as it charged in a similar fashion straight at Iris' unguarded back. Noctis stepped up, lance already aimed at its head. It was the last thing it saw as its own momentum impaled it.

Noctis waited just long enough to know the sabertusk was dead before he turned to face the rest of the pack. Ignis and Prompto slid by his side as the pack growled hungrily around them. "Instructions, Ignis?" asked Noctis, glancing over his shoulder to check on Iris. She glared pointedly back, hefting her sword into a ready stance with ease.

Ignis looked around them carefully. The surviving members of the sabertusk pack numbered a bit over a dozen. While each sabertusk wasn't particularly strong, a pack that big could still overwhelm them in sheer numbers. "Stay close together. We need to get to a more defensible space." He cast his gaze around quickly and pointed to where the road met two cliffs. "There!"

The other three nodded their understanding. Prompto changed his gun to a less accurate but more powerful shotgun and took aim. "I'll open a path." He glanced at Ignis sharply and added, "On your signal Iggy."

Ignis nodded. He waited patiently, trying to ignore the rising tension of his companions as they waited for his signal, while keeping an eye out for the best opportunity to act. It came when a sabertusk suddenly charged towards Ignis. The adviser side-stepped the clumsy attack with ease and shouted, "Now, Prompto!"

Prompto didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger of his shotgun and watched as his bullets forced the beasts to scatter out of their way. Iris dove through the opening first with Noctis following close behind her. Prompto scampered after them, switching to his favorite handgun and keeping an eye out for attacks.

Ignis was the last to pass through the quickly-closing opening. He had to dodge a few wide tusk swipes but managed to get out unharmed. Prompto placed himself the furthest back and was picking off a few sabertusks that tried to attack Ignis as he ran. Iris and Noctis were working side by side to fend off attacks until Ignis could reach them.

With the cliffs narrowing the amount of how many sabertusks would be able to attack them at any given time, it didn't take long for the pack to slink away with less than a third of their remaining members. Ignis quickly checked on Prompto, Iris and Noctis, and sighed in relief when he saw they were unharmed.

Iris hummed as she knelt down by the carcasses. "Should we grab their tusks to sell?" She looked up at the guys as she asked.

Ignis looked over to Noctis, who shrugged, before he turned to Iris. "That is a very good idea. Will you be able to manage this task by yourself? We still have to find the supplies." Iris nodded confidently and stood back up.

Prompto keeped his gun in hand as he took advantage of his viewpoint to look around. It didn't take long for him to spot something. "Noct! Over there!" He pointed excitedly at some sparse bushes. Prompto didn't wait for an answer as he jumped down from the rock and ran over. He dropped to his stomach and wiggled under the mass of tangled branches to return holding some dynamos wrapped in ripped plastic. "There's a bunch of stuff under there!"

Noctis and Ignis chuckled and quickly dove in, helping Prompto grab the supplies. They cut the branches away until they could see the pile. Ignis took a closer look at the other objects that were there and muttered, "This is certainly not a sabertusk den." It had bothered him to think that a pack of sabertusks would be able to force several professional hunters to flee without much-needed supplies.

Noctis didn't bother with moving the supplies far; he simply put each bag into his armiger with a pleased grin. Prompto shot him a pouting look but quickly smiled again when Ignis chuckled behind them. They searched the area a bit longer but it appeared they had found everything there was to find.

Ignis had Prompto take a picture of the den to give to the Hunters. He was a bit worried about his current inability to recognize the tracks left there. Ignis cast one last look at the area before sliding into the driver seat. "Where to next?" he asked.

Noctis shrugged, "We might as well check the Nif's checkpoint since it's not too far." He looked at Iris, who gave him a cheery smile, then Prompto, who gave him two thumbs up, before nodding to himself. "Let's get this all done in one go." Ignis smiled at him and turned unto the road.


	46. Chapter 46

It took only half an hour to reach the checkpoint closest to them. Ignis pulled the car to the side of the road and stared at the amount of soldiers patrolling the road. Most of the soldiers were clones with a Niflheim commander at their head. "I don't think we'll be able to get the hunters' supplies back." Said Ignis softly.

Noctis stood up and squinted at the mass of soldiers. His heart felt like someone had squeezed it as he wondered just how many soldiers Niflheim had at their disposal. Seeing the Sublimis had told Noctis of the weapons, and means, at Niflheim's disposal but he couldn't truly fathom the size of its army. The numbers he remembered reading about in reports seemed so much smaller than the reality of it.

Noctis swallowed his disappointment and fear. "Probably not, Specs. Let's go back to Meldacio and see what we're missing." He sat back down with a resigned sigh and watched through the window as Ignis turned the car around and sped away.

Prompto turned around to look at Noctis. He wanted to say something, anything, to cheer Noct up but he couldn't think of anything that would sound fake. Instead he took a quick picture of Iris and sat back down. Ignis gave him an understanding glance before concentrating on the road back to the Hunter's HQ.

Their return was expected by some of the hunters. As Ignis parked the Regalia once more, Noctis slid out and brought out the supplies they had recovered. The shopkeeper and the hunters present quickly scoured the supplies, dividing those that were usable from those that had been damaged.

"Thanks a lot!" The shopkeeper said once she was done. "Did you deal with the beast?"

Noctis shrugged, "We're not sure about that but we ended up taking down a pack of sabertusk that were prowling about. Were those the ones responsible for waylaying the supply caravan?"

The shopkeeper frowned, "A bunch of sabertusk eh?" Noctis nodded and summoned one of the tusks Iris had collected. The shopkeeper took it carefully, examining it for a short while before shaking her head. "I don't think its the beast that attacked the caravan. The injuries they had weren't from tusks like these. But, I'm pretty sure there was a hunt concerning those sabertusks of yours. Let's head back into the shop and I'll check with Mrs. Ezma. She'll know."

Ignis frowned as he listened to the shopkeeper. So the sabertusks hadn't been the ones to cause trouble for the hunters. He had thought as much but hearing it being confirmed only increased his uneasiness. The daemons had not been a serious problem in Lucis for quite some time, thanks to the vaccine and cure.

Had Niflheim's presence somehow brought about a new strain? Or perhaps their military experiments had created new kinds of dangerous creatures and these had been unleashed against the populace? Ignis took out his notebook and made a small note to talk with Lance and Cor about the possibility.

They followed the shopkeeper as she walked over to the old lady sitting in her rocking chair by the shop. "Mrs. Ezma, sorry to disturb you ma'am, but wasn't there a hunt for those sabertusks in the Pallareth Pass?"

The old lady sighed, "My hearing is just fine, Alice. I heard you talking with these young folks just fine. Yes there is a hunt for the sabertusks. You'll find it under the radio but Steven has the reward for it." She pointed one of her knitting needles towards the man with the cooking apron by the tables. "Give them the hunt poster and help them find what they need to be on their way." She returned to her knitting.

Ignis, Noct, Iris and Prompto shared an amused and stunned look even as Alice nodded and left for her shop. They left the grandmotherly woman alone as they followed into the shop. Ignis accepted the hunt poster once Alice found it. They compared notes on what had been recovered, what was usable and what Cid needed.

Ignis sighed as he looked at what they were missing. The supplies they had managed to salvage contained most of what they had needed but they were still missing 2 skystones, 2 litres of slimy oil and 2 more Coeurl whiskers on top of the mythril they had yet to go collect.

Alice hummed thoughtfully as she looked at the list. "You know… We have a few hunts that offer some skystones and slimy oil as rewards. Steven should be able to tell you which ones."

Ignis smiled at the information, "Thank you, miss. We'll go and talk with him then." He gave a nod to the shopkeeper and headed over to Noct.

"Well? Do we have everything we need or are we still missing stuff?" Noctis said as Ignis joined them.

Ignis shook his head regretfully. "Unfortunately, we still require some of the material for Cid. Alice has told me that there should be hunts available which have these things as rewards." Noctis nodded and started walking out of the store with his friends in tow.

With Noctis leading the way, they headed to the small restaurant right beside the shop. Steven was serving some delicious looking meat pie to a few hunters. The smell enticed Ignis into getting a closer look at the dish, which he tried to do while being as inconspicuous as possible.

An amused chuckle from the cook had Ignis straightening with a faint blush. He adjusted his glasses awkwardly as Steven said, "Looks good doesn't it? Its Granny Ezma's recipe. There's plenty more if you boys," he grinned at Iris, "and lady, are hungry." Ignis looked over at Noctis.

Noctis shrugged and pointed out, "It's near noon anyways. We might as well eat here while checking out the hunts we need." Steven beamed and waved them to a free table. He quickly brought them menus and the job posters detailing the different hunts not yet claimed.

Ignis winced at first when he opened his menu and saw the prices, but a quick look at the rewards for the hunts, including the one they had inadvertently done, allowed him to relax. Ignis ended up ordering the meat pie while Iris grabbed the skewers. Noctis grabbed the obvious veggie-free option while Prompto decided to try out the ragout.

As they waited for their lunch, Ignis picked out the hunts they would have to take from the pile. In a stroke of good luck (long overdue), the hunts were located in the Vesperpool area. One asked that they kill a nocturnal Treant while the second hunt was about a hive of killer bees.

"Bugs? Do we have to Iggy?" Prompto said with a whine as he stared at the sketch of their prey.

Ignis patted his hand, "With your aim, you won't even have to get close to them, dear." His eyes twinkled in amusement though and Iris seemed to share his mirth. Prompto pouted but it didn't last long as their food arrived. Ignis inhaled the warm spicy scent of the meat pie and sighed in pleasure as he cut through the perfectly-crisped dough.

He ignored the chuckles from his companions as he looked at the dualhorn meat. It looked just a bit overcooked but smelled delicious nonetheless. The taste of cinnamon, cumin and thyme exploded in his mouth when he took his first bite. It was delicious. "That's it! I have a new recipe!" He exclaimed.

The meal was temporary forgotten as Ignis scribbled down his new idea before it faded away. When Ignis put the well-used and cared-for notebook away, he fully expected to see his boyfriends chuckling at him. Instead he was met with twin gazes full of loving adoration.

"I can't wait to try it out, Iggy." Noctis said simply, Prompto nodding beside him. Ignis felt his heart swell with the love he held for the two men and their missing partner. _No matter what happens, I will always protect them._ A promise he had made to himself a thousand times before and one he intended to keep a thousand times over.

They finished their meals in cheerful conversation, Ignis being offered bites of the other two delicacies from the restaurant. Iris collected the reward for the sabertusks while Noctis paid for their meal. Soon enough, the four were back in the Regalia and heading towards the Vesperpool.

There was a designated parking area since the Vesperpool area had been designated as protected lands by the Crown, and Ignis carefully drove there. It was a short ride, spent checking supplies and making sure Iris was well equipped.

Prompto looked around as he got out of the Regalia. A yellow sign nearby caused him to gasp and point excitedly at it. "Noct! Noct! Let's get some chocobos!"

Noctis turned to look at the sign Prompto was pointing and chuckled. Of course the chocobo renting station would catch Prompto's attention. He glanced at Ignis quickly before making his decision. "Sure, why not. It'll be easier than walking through the marshes and rocky beaches."

Prompto laughed excitedly and raced over to start the renting process. Within a few minutes, a whistle dropped from the station and Prompto blew it enthusiastically. A shrill cry answered and four chocobos arrived. "Ah! It seems these are part of the group we used previously. How delightful." Ignis said as one of the feathery birds nudged him with her head.

A few more minutes were spent getting acquainted with their mounts and they were off to deal with a bunch of killer bees. Noctis followed the direction written in the hunt description. It led them along the dirt road used mostly by the conservation group until they came across a raised series of rocks.

The flat top and bluish smoke signaled the presence of a haven, and the view from it showed the buzzing forms of a dozen or so bees dancing through the thickets. "There they are. What's the plan, Specs?" Noctis said as he slid off his chocobo.

Ignis followed suit. "Simple. Prompto stays away and shoots them to the ground, where we will finish them." Prompto gave Ignis a thumbs up, causing the adviser to smile fondly for a moment. He turned back to Noctis and added, "Any objections?"

Noctis shook his head and grinned, "None whatsoever. Let's do this; then we can fish!" He chuckled at the chorus of groans that followed. Worth it.

Leaving the chocobos at the haven, the four got closer to the hive. Prompto stayed at the back of the group, his guns already in his hands. His eyes jumped nervously from tree to tree as they walked, causing him to stumble more often than he normally would. There were no words or sighs of annoyance, merely firm understanding and patience as they moved forwards at his pace.

The fight itself was fairly easy. Prompto aimed either for the beady heads or the wings from a safe distance while Iris and Noctis warp-struck the ones hovering lower down. Ignis stayed in between the two groups, supporting where he was needed and finishing off any bee that found itself incapacitated on the ground.

The hive queen emerged as they finished the last of what seemed to be her guards and made her displeasure known violently. Prompto had to throw himself out of the way of a wicked-looking stinger dripping green fluid.

"Prompto!" Noctis cried even as he warped over to stand between the terrifying queen and her prey. He didn't bother with any kind of trick as he thrust his lance through the queen's abdomen. Prompto finished her off with three bullets through her eyes, and they both caught their breath as she fell with a few jerks.

It took longer to grab the proof they needed from the corpses than the fight itself, but Ignis still insisted on finding the hive to collect the honey and ensure that no larvae remained. They decided the honey was worth the extra time after trying some. Seeing Noctis drop a fire flask on the stripped remains of the hive came as a bonus to Prompto.


	47. Chapter 47

They made their way back to the haven easily, and set about making an early camp. "Is it always like this?" Iris asked Ignis softly while helping him prepare souper. She jerked her head towards Prompto and Noctis, both bent over their phone with intense concentration. Playing King's Knight no doubt.

Ignis finished slicing the potatoes neatly before he answered. "Not always, no. But we try to find what bits of pleasure we can in these small peaceful moments." He smiled fondly as he glanced over to his boyfriends. "It helps us remember what we fight for." Iris stayed pensively silent at that.

There were a lot of things on her mind lately. Well, more like since Niflheim's invasion of Insomnia. She still woke up in a panic, with nightmares of the daemons unleashed on the unsuspecting citizens of the city making her feel trapped and lost. Gladio had talked to her about it; as had Cor, Dustin, Lance and Monica. Talking helped her for a bit but the hole in her chest kept coming back over and over again, no matter what she tried to do.

The only things that had seemed to help her in Lestallum had been helping Talcott and his grandfather run the hotel, and training. Now with the hotel gone, Lestallum under martial law, and after being captured because of her own recklessness; Iris found herself sticking to the only thing she knew would help her.

During the week spent at Cape Caem, Iris had tried to train as much as she possibly could, often with her brother right by her side. She trained with the glaives, learning tricks to warping that Noctis had never told her about; with Gladio, who taught her the same way Dad di...had; and by herself, probably long after she should have stopped.

But she couldn't stop, not when she was still weak. She had to get stronger, for Gladdy's sake and for her own. Only when she could protect herself against everything could she feel safe again.

"Iris? Are you okay?" Prompto's voice startled her from her thoughts.

Iris turned towards him with a wide smile. "Yup! Hey, can you show me how to get past that ice boss on lv 54?" She draped over the back of Prompto's chair and pouted insistently until he gave in. Iris promised herself that one day she would be okay again, but for now pretending would have to do.

Once supper was over and the dishes were clean, Ignis suggested that each of them take turns to nap as they waited for nightfall. The treant they had to take down was nocturnal and would only emerge from its den once the sun set. "We will take it down tonight as quickly as we can, then rest and head to Steyliff Grove in the morning," he said simply.

Noctis pounced on the idea, dragging Ignis with him into the tent and leaving Prompto and Iris to keep watch for the next hour or so. The hour passed quickly with Prompto going through his pictures, showing some to Iris and taking others of the evening sky. Ignis was the first to wake up, to no one's surprise, and sent both of them to their tents to nap a bit.

The last rays of sunlight were fading when Ignis woke them all up. The adviser had already checked their supplies and weapons, and had even prepared some hot chocolate to help them wake up before they left the haven. As the moon roose above the tree line, Noctis hefted himself unto his chocobo and lead the way into the woods.

It didn't take long to find the treant. The hunched beast was roaming around an outcropping of rocks, its heavy breaths heard quite a distance away. Ignis motioned for them to stay back, leading them a small distance away before sliding off his chocobo.

Noctis and the others followed his lead. "It's a lot bigger than I expected." Noct said. He looked over to Ignis, "So what's the plan? It's basically a tree right? So should we just set it on fire?"

"Setting on fire would be dangerous. It doesn't seem like its rained in a while and the fire might spread quickly," came the reply from the adviser.

Prompto was observing the treant during that time and said, "If we lure it into some large rocks, Noctis can burn it without having to worry about the fire spreading." Ignis frowned. "We would have to pin it down somehow so it couldn't run away once the blaze is started.."

"So we aim for its limbs!" Iris said confidently. Ignis was silent for a bit before sighing and nodding in agreement.

Plan made, Noctis warped to the top of a nearby tree and looked around for an area filled with large rocks. It didn't take long to find a good spot. Ignis and Prompto headed there right away, leaving Iris and Noctis to act as bait for the treant while they prepared for the fight.

Noct glanced over to Iris and asked, "You ready?" Iris nodded. Satisfied for the moment, Noctis counted to 30 slowly before taking aim. "Now!" Both his and Iris' forms blurred as they warp-struck the treant. Noctis had aimed for its head, his engine blade burying itself deeply into the thick bark skin just shy of its eye.

Iris had aimed for its neck, her own sword cutting a swathe out of its neck. She dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way of the treant's retaliation. "Iris! The tail!" The warning came just in time for her to create a barrier that took the brunt of the blow before shattering. The tail sent her rolling away, breathless and pained as she clambered to her feet.

Noctis had summoned a dagger to his free hand and plunged it into the exposed eye. The beast roared in pain, reared onto its hind leg and tried to shake Noctis off. He swore and warped away, wincing as he missed his aim slightly and landed just off balance.

Iris hissed and warped beside Noctis. She yelled, "I think we got its attention!" Noctis nodded and they both warped just out of reach from the treant. The treant seemed to shrink under their gaze, confusing both of them, until it suddenly jumped high into the night sky.

"Six!" Noctis swore as he grabbed Iris and warped them out of the treant's pounce. They stumbled onto solid rock just as several loud gunshots rang through the air. Noctis grinned, knowing that Prompto would help them draw the treant where they needed it to be.

Iris and Noctis traded turns attacking the treant as Prompto helped cover their run. As they came into sight of the rocky area, Ignis pointed towards a slim opening between two boulders. Noctis and Iris shuffled through it, the huffing breaths of the treant right behind them.

They stumbled to a stop beside Ignis, and Noctis huffed, "What now Specs?"

"Now we get ready to take the treant down." Ignis replied calmly. Noctis and Iris shared a grin before flinching as the treant landed in front of them. Ignis didn't wait as he twirled his lance, jumped and brought his weight on the tip of his lance. The treant roared as the lance pierced right through its paw.

Ignis managed to backflip away with trouble, landing neatly and ready to move where he was needed. Noctis admired the lithe and flexible movements for a brief moment before he also dove into the fight again. Prompto kept up a barrage of bullets, some of his explosive ones ripping chunks off the treant's limbs with ease while the others kept it contained.

Iris matched Noctis' movements at first but soon had to rely on her speed to dodge as she reached her magic limit. They needed to hurry up and finish the fight. "Anytime now Specs!" Noctis shouted as he warped out of danger.

Ignis took stock of the injuries on the treant. It was still able to move but it did so with obvious difficulty and it was much slower than before. "Prompto! Restrain its movements for 10 seconds! Iris! Noctis! Get to him." He instructed.

Prompto acknowledge the instruction by opening fire with the few explosive shells he had left. Noctis ran over to Iris, grabbing her by the hand and warping with her to the top of the rocks. Ignis waited a few seconds to ensure they were safely out of the way before he threw the fire flasks.

The treant roared in pain as the flasks broke over its wooden body. The fire caught easily and Ignis jumped to join his friends. They watched as the treant was consumed by the fire, all of them ready to jump in if the beast tried to run away but it merely collapsed on the rock bed.

"Do you think it's dead?" Prompto asked softly, his gun pointing at the treant. "It kinda looks dead. But what if it isn't?" He looked between Ignis, Noctis and the smoldering treant.

Ignis and Noctis shared a look before Noctis said, "I'm pretty sure it's dead now." He grinned and added, "If it isn't then we'll just have to finish it off." Noctis patted Prompto's shoulder and warped down to grab the proof they needed.

That done, Noctis returned to the top of the rocks. "See? Now, let's head back to camp and get some rest. We still have to find the mythril."

"Um… Noctis?" Iris said before they could move at all. "Isn't that…" She pointed out an approaching blob of darkness. All three of them turned to look.

Ignis took a hissing breath, "What in Eos is the Chancellor doing here?" He grabbed Noctis but the arm, turning to get away from the wretched man.

"Your Majesty! How very fortunate to find you in this desolate place!" Chancellor Izunia's voice rang out before they could move though. As the Chancellor approached, they could see he was accompanied by two MTs.

Noctis gritted his teeth and stepped forward, "How fortunate indeed. It seems an odd place for you to be, Chancellor. Don't you have better things to do then to wander in the middle of the Vesperpool?"

Chancellor Izunia smiled and gave an elaborate bow, sweeping his hat as he did, towards Noctis. "Ah but what better use of my time than to help the Chosen King in his quest?" He replaced his hat on his head and motioned with his free hand towards an approaching airship. "It has come to my attention that you are looking for the seldom found Mythril Ore."

"And what is it to you?" Noctis asked, glancing over to Ignis in worry. How had the Chancellor found about the Mythril?

Chancellor Izunia smirked, "Now, now, dear boy; how could I not know about the ship that rests within Cape Caem? Or that the famed Cid Sophiar and his equally famed granddaughter have left their garage to go there?" He laughed, "Or did you imagine yourself unnoticed by Imperial Forces?"

Ignis, Prompto and Iris quickly moved to stand between the Chancellor and Noctis. The underlying threat was all too clear. Noctis glared at the Chancellor through his friends and asked, "What do you want?"

"To help you of course! Such a question." Chancellor Izunia replied, still smirking. "Now, if it pleases Your Majesty, I will guide you to where the Mythril can be found." He waited, then pouted as no one moved from where they were. "I see you do not trust me, how unbearably saddening. Well, I give you my word, by the Six and their messenger, that I will not harm any of you until you have the Mythril Ore in hand."

An oath would not have changed Noctis desire to follow the chancellor but as the unsavory man spoke, lightning flashed through the cloudless sky to fall right by the Chancellor's feet.

Chancellor Izunia seemed just as surprised as Noctis, Ignis, Prompto and Iris at the sudden show of Ramuh's presence, but he quickly hid his surprise under an amused guise as he glanced over his shoulder and said, "There you go, young king. Proof that the Six, or at least one of them, has heard my oath and bound me to it. I trust _that_ will suffice?"

Noctis clenched his teeth; he could see Iris trembling slightly even as she stood her ground as a Shield should. He glanced over to Ignis and Prompto, both looking at Noctis expectantly as they waited for his decision. Noctis took a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly as he considered the option of fighting, running away or going with the Chancellor.

"Very well, Chancellor Izunia. Lead the way." Noctis finally said as he opened his eyes and met the Chancellor's squarely. No matter what the man had planned, Noctis was certain that they would be able to survive one way or another.


	48. Chapter 48

Noctis looked around as they walked a small distance behind the Chancellor. The edge of the Vesperpool seemed to have a significant amount of ruins scattered about the water. The moonlight gave barely enough light to make out worn out symbols from Solheim's time left to decay on some of the pillars and crumbling walls.

"I see that you have a new Shield by your side." Chancellor Izunia's words were unexpected and unwelcome. Noctis tensed up, head wiping back to stare at the Chancellor's back. "Such a pretty young face for an Amicitia, so much like her mother." The Chancellor glanced back at Iris with an unreadable smile. "Ah, a touchy subject I see. No matter, we have arrived."

Prompto squeaked out, "No matter?" , outrage and shock shared between all of them. They had no time to really answer the Chancellor's words or consider what he meant by them as Aranea Highwind stalked up to their group with a fierce scowl.

"I thought you said you'd be bringing me soldiers Chancellor, not a bunch of paper pushers to babysit," she said, eyes swiping over them once before coming to rest on the Chancellor.

Izunia simply smiled and bowed, "My apologies, Commodore Highwind, but these are indeed the soldiers I told you about. Please refrain from asking unnecessary questions and do your job, is that clear?" While his tone was amused, the words were anything but and they sent a chill down Noctis' spine.

Aranea snorted, "Whatever you say, Chancellor. As long as I get my paycheck on time and in full then the rest are details." She shifted her gaze to Noctis and grinned widely. "Well, 'soldiers', get your asses over to Biggs and Wedge. " She jerked her thumb over to the twin set of pillars lined up in Steyliff Grove.

Noctis hesitated for a moment, eyes darting furiously to Chancellor Izunia. He wanted to ask what he had meant by his earlier comment, but also knew it was unlikely he would get any kind of answer. Ignis moved beside him, hand coming to touch his elbow in a clear suggestion. Noctis sighed and gave one last annoyed glance at the infuriating Chancellor before heading to see Aranea's two subordinates.

He did glance over his shoulder to check on Aranea as they walked away, but she seemed to have things under control with the Niflheim Chancellor. Noctis turned back and nodded a greeting to both mercenaries. "Biggs, Wedge, nice to see you again."

Biggs nodded back, "Wasn't expecting to see you lot so soon." He frowned and looked around a bit before asking, "Where's tall, dark and scowling at?"

The description had Iris chuckling, "You mean Gladdy? He had something else to do." Biggs shrugged, it clearly wasn't any of his business.

Aranea quickly rejoined them, her presence announced by the clink of her armor and a huff of angry annoyance. "What kind of trouble did you lot get yourself into this time?" she asked, reaching out to fluff Iris' hair gently.

Noctis replied with his own annoyance clear, "I'm blaming your employer." He suddenly frowned and looked at Prompto, "Prom? Are you okay?" He remembered what had happened the last few times they had crossed paths. (Even if one of those times wasn't a certainty.)

Ignis looked stricken, and twisted to look at Prompto as well. Both looked at Prompto expectantly. Prompto was a bit surprised by the sudden question and confused but he quickly understood what they meant. "Oh, ummm…. I'm fine." He said with two thumbs up. He had kept a careful distance from the Chancellor, not wanting to accidentally end up catatonic like at Galdin Quay.

Reassured, Noctis sighed and turned his attention back to Aranea. "Sorry about that. So what exactly are you here for?"

Aranea shrugged as she answered, "My employer, as you so gracefully put it, hired me to protect some soldiers, apparently you," she glared half annoyed at them, "as you go into the ruins to get some mythril ore. Other than that you're on your own."

Ignis sighed, "It worries me that the Chancellor seems to be so aware of our whereabouts." He glanced to Noctis with worry, "We will have to be more careful as to who sees us. Perhaps we should resume disguises as well…" He trailed off thoughtfully. Prompto and Noctis traded amused looks over Ignis and Iris.

Shaking his head, Noctis told Aranea, "That sounds just fine. Where is the mythril?"

Aranea pointed behind Biggs and Wedge, "See that big glowing doorway? It's at the bottom of the ruins we can access through it. If you want to get it now then we'd best move. The door disappears during the day and I, for one, don't want to be stuck in there with Six-know-what."

Prompto gulped, that sounded like something to avoid at all cost. He looked quickly at the moon and proposed, "Maybe we should wait? We've been up a long time, and it's past midnight now, too."

Aranea huffed, "You boys been fighting already? Then it's best to wait. The Chancellor's gone and I'll be paid no matter how long it takes, so might as well rest up. The mythril is going to be there tomorrow." She motioned for them to follow her with a smile.

Aranea offered her airship as a resting spot but they refused politely, preferring the haven and the open sky. Thankfully Noctis had the extra tents they had been using for Nyx, Luna and the rest of the glaives. With some help from Biggs and Wedge, two of the tents were up in no time and the group was finally able to get some rest.

It was just past midday when Noctis woke up, sore but feeling decently well rested. He wasn't surprised to notice that he was alone in the tent considering the amount of light streaming in through the fabric ceiling. Noctis quickly got dressed before slipping out of the tent, wincing at the first full exposure to the sun.

"Morning Noct!" Iris greeted him as he stumbled out of the tent fully.

"Afternoon would be better," quipped Aranea from her seat by the fire. She had a plate full of Ignis' food in one hand and some papers balancing on her knees as she ate. She caught Noctis' attempt to see what was written on the papers with a chuckle, "Nothing on these are of interest to you or your crew, Kid."

Ignis gave an exasperated sigh. "She speaks the truth unfortunately. Those are mere inventory forms for expenses claimed on duty." He handed Noctis his breakfast and added, "Though I do believe she has exaggerated a few of the claims on there."

Aranea huffed, "Now don't go putting false ideas in his mind, Specs. I'm _estimating_ some of the thing on here, that's all." Her grin took out any sting from her words and Noctis had the strange impression it wasn't the first such exchange they'd had so far. He shrugged and dug into the food.

"Where's Prom?" Noctis asked between bites. The blond was the only one he hadn't seen so far and with Gladio gone, he wasn't comfortable not knowing where his friends were, especially when they were surrounded by Niflheim soldiers. (Even if Noctis was more-or-less certain Aranea would help them if they got into a fight.)

Iris, who had been working out as Noctis ate, replied, "By… the….pillars." She lowered her sword with a huff, "He wanted to take a closer look at the ruins." She wiped off her forehead, grabbed some water and took up her sword again.

Ignis nodded; he had been keeping an eye on her all morning as had Aranea, both noticing the dark circles under her eyes despite her insistence of having slept a good eight hours. He figured it was due to a nightmare, unsurprising considering the recent events in her life, and promised himself to insist she take a nap later this afternoon before they headed into the ruins. "He should be back soon." As though summoned by Ignis, Prompto came bounding into view.

"Hey, you're awake, Noct!" Prompto said as he jogged over to the camp.

Noctis grinned and waved back, only now relaxing enough to truly enjoy Ignis' food. The afternoon was spent getting ready for nightfall. Aranea had gone into the ruins twice before, though only into the first two rooms. She told them about the daemons they could expect to find within: skeletons, reapers, imps and crème brulées were the most common ones to appear.

"We'll have to be careful down there. The Empire's been using it as a training ground," Aranea looked wryly at Noctis, "hence your cover, but that also means they've sent and lost weapon prototypes down there. Don't know why, but no one seemed to have ever bothered to check what happened to the troops or equipment that didn't come back. And I, for one, would rather not find out."

"Neither would we. Our goal is merely the mythril ore; the less we have to fight the happier I shall be," Ignis said in return. Aranea grinned.

-Nightfall-

The door rose to clear the way as soon as they approached it, showing them the short landing leading to the beginning of some stairs. Prompto gulped as he stared down into the pitch black well waiting for them. He re-adjusted his light, mentally wincing when it made no dent in the ink blob in front of him. "Um.. How far down does this go?" he asked nervously.

Noctis and Ignis both reached out to him at the same time, each offering a reassuring smile sent his way. "Stay with us," they seemed to say, "and we'll keep you safe no matter what." Prompto felt some of his fear leave and he nodded gratefully back. Two slaps on his back, one after the other, sent him stumbling a few steps forward with all his air pushed out of his lungs.

"Buck up, Blondie. We've got work to do," said Aranea with a fierce grin.

"We can do it Prompto! As long as we stay together," declared Iris with a beaming smile.

Prompto whined as he reached back to touch the suddenly sore spots on his backs, "Did you have to hit me so hard?" He gave them both a pouting look but it quickly turned into a smile. They were right after all. No matter what kind of beast, daemon or weird Niff tech they would encounter down there, nothing could stop them if they worked together!

Well as long as they could work together. As they started down the stairs with Noctis and Aranea in the lead, Prompto reached tentatively out to his other-side. Since the night at the Niflheim base, Daemon-Prompto had been quiet, almost as if it didn't exist. Yet Prompto could still feel the Scourge's power in his veins if he looked for it.

On a few occasions, he had even drawn on it to see if there had been any change to his control or power but so far nothing except for the unusual silence from his Daemon side. It was weird and Prompto wasn't sure what it meant. Hopefully it wasn't anything bad.

As the five walked down the broken stairs carefully, Prompto kept an internal eye on the Scourge. He could feel the presence of several daemons matching Aranea's description waiting below them, several dozens of them spread out across at least 5 floors if not more, but none of them called to his Daemon as they might have before.

The first room they came across at the bottom of the stairs was pretty big and strangely clean but thankfully empty. Aranea took the lead as she headed straight for the left without pausing, then guided them into the right passage in the next room. It was only at that point that they saw evidence of the ruins' old age and decrepit state as several pieces of the ceiling were now on the floor.

"Watch out!" Prompto warned as skeletons suddenly climbed out of the floor. The words were barely out of his mouth before Aranea was thrusting his lance at the nearest one. She spun her lance once and used the momentum to shatter a second skeleton with ease. Iris took the last one down with her own warp-strike.

Noctis and Prompto stared at both ladies, stunned by Aranea's quick reaction and by how quickly Iris had linked with the Commodore. Ignis shook his head, slightly amused, "Remarkable, but I suppose I should expect nothing less from one who hold the title of 'Dragoon'."

Aranea laughed, "You lot are easy to impress if this is all it takes. Small areas and I don't normally go along well so wait until we reach some of the larger areas before you start flattering me." She reached out to slap Iris on the back and set off once more.

The next room held even more of the daemons, forcing them to fight again but Aranea was right. With the extra room to fight, her jumps and spins were spectacular to watch. Something that almost caused Prompto a few spots of trouble as he tried to grab some pictures. Thankfully enough, his boyfriends were well aware of his tendencies and stayed close in order to help out when needed.

Prompto frowned as Ignis checked them for injuries. The daemons had actually been attacking him, something that hadn't happened last time when they had gone into Keycatrich Trench for the Royal Arm. Maybe he should tell the others about the change. He looked around and promised himself that he would the next opportunity he got because this was getting weird and he didn't like it.

For now though, getting through these ruins without getting killed was the priority. Prompto hurried to join up the others as they started towards the gold and metal-carved door. It opened at Noct's touch, sliding upwards silently and allowing them passage into a huge hall of sorts.

Prompto took a few steps in then came to a stop, his eyes drawn upwards to the massive ceiling. "Beautiful beyond words…" Ignis' soft remark was all too true as they gazed at the shimmering blue ceiling that cast dancing waves across the walls around them. They all got as close to the railing as they safely could, staring upwards in amazement.

Even Aranea seemed lost for words, though only momentarily. Her matter-of-fact tone belied the delight in her eyes as she said, "That is pretty neat." Prompto was itching to take a few pictures but somehow, he doubted that he would be able to capture the beauty of the dancing lights on the walls, or the feeling that seeing the watery ceiling so high and steady above them gave him. He still took one, if only to be able to show it to Gladio when they told him about it later.

"I wish Luna was here." Noctis sighed beside Prompto, getting a few surprised and confused looks for his comment. He shrugged and motioned to the ceiling, "She'd probably be able to tell us who was worshipped here. I mean, magic like this, that lasts this long? It's only ever seen in temples or really sacred grounds. I wonder whose it is."

Ignis smiled and offered, "We can ask her on our return. Perhaps this could be of some use to her or you if it is linked to the Six." Noctis smiles back and they're off again.

A group of skeletons and crème brulées springs up under their feet within minutes and sends them into another fight. They're slowly getting used to fighting together, a fact proven when Ignis follows Aranea into a jump of his own that almost matches hers in spins. Prompto laughs and steals a quick picture as they flip back unto their feet simultaneously.

A slow shuffle across a small crumbling ledge, some stairs and a few more fights later with more skeletons, crème brulées and even a few reapers appearing; and they found themselves standing in front of another carved door. It slid up with a bit of a rumble and the group entered a deeper part of the ruins.

This part seemed to have seen the worst of the passage of time, with rubble strewn about and debris filling up some parts of the room. More importantly, more recent items such as metallic armor and machinery were all over the floor. "Not a good sign." Aranea hissed.

She took the lead again, carefully testing the ground with her lance before stepping on it. A good thing, as several pieces of it dropped to the lower floor with the slightest pressure. A bad thing because the sound woke up all the sleeping daemons. Whatever the room had been before, it was now the nesting place of daemons big and small.

"Shit!" There wasn't any time to chat as they were swarmed. Iron giants turn into red giants, skeletons and reapers into liches, flan into crème brulées. No matter how many daemons Prompto shot down, three popped up to take its place. They wouldn't be able to keep this up for very long and Prompto knew it. Should he try to use his powers? Or… Prompto scrambles backwards.

"Fire in the hole!" It's not the right thing to say, not military-wise but it's the only thing that came to Prompto's mind as he pitched the modified bomb upwards as hard as he could. The three-second fuse ticked by much too slowly before the explosion rocked the room; rocks and ceilings falling from their fragile hold.

The screams of daemons melting under the watered-down cure was a relief to Prompto, and he hurried back to his feet to finish off the last few intact daemons from a safe distance. "Nice thinking Prompto! Though perhaps a more appropriate warning might be in order next time." Ignis' words greeted his return to their group among the sound and light of shattering potions.

Prompto smiled bashfully, accepting a potion for himself as he replied, "I just remembered I had one left from our rescue op. Figured this was as good a time as any to use it." His bruises and cuts faded with the potion. He carefully reached out with his senses and hummed. There are still a few daemons left, but it seems like the majority of them had been here.

Noctis and Ignis both stared at him, a knowing light in their eyes. Prompto smiled and shrugged; with Iris and Aranea present, letting them know about what he sensed wasn't really an option. Instead he slung his arms around them and chirped, "Come on, we've got to be close to the ore by now!"

They kept going on their way, carefully maneuvering around the less than stable areas. They were all tired, too; Iris especially was looking worn out. Ignis called for several stops to rest whenever Iris stumbled too often in the dark. No one said anything, but Aranea slowed her pace even more and Noctis stayed close to the young Amicitia as they walked around.

"How fortunate for us, that we haven't had to fight daemons since that room," Ignis whispered as he dropped back to walk beside Prompto for a bit.

Prompto hummed. "I doubt we'll meet any more of them. The nest held about 90% of all the daemons of the ruins and the rest seem scared of us now."

"Of us?" Ignis asked, lifting an eyebrow questioningly.

Prompto winced, this was hardly the time to discuss things but… "Well… It seems like something changed with Daemon-Me since my disappearing act. I don't know how to explain it but…" As clinically as he could, Prompto explained what seemed to have changed within him.

Ignis absorbed the information quietly. "I see. And you feel nothing unusual other than that absence?" Prompto nodded. Ignis hummed thoughtfully, "It might be useful to talk with Lunafreya about the matter when we return." He smiled at Prompto. "Thank you for letting me know about this, love." Prompto blushed slightly.

"Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds, but looks like we're here." Aranea called out. Prompto and Ignis laughed softly and hurried to catch up with Noctis, Iris and Aranea. They had stopped in front of an elemental ore deposit. Noctis was already at work, draining its magic for their use.

There were three in total and Noctis took the time to drain each before moving forward. He even crafted a few magic flasks. "The ore should be just past the hall," Aranea reminded them.

Noctis nodded and headed to the indicated place. It opened into the same large hall under the watery ceiling, but they were now several floors down. He hadn't taken more than a few steps before a cry rang out. It echoed loudly but made it all that much easier to see what it was.

"A Quetzalcoatl!" Ignis sounded surprised and delighted.

"Not now, Ignis!" Noctis said as the beast took flight, swooping down towards them. "How do we take it down?"

"It flies so aims for its wings. Also, they are supposed to be able to eat lightning so try not to feed it some!" Aranea suggested as she jumped to attack, Iris following her lead.

Ignis sighed; was he the only one who bothered to read the hunters' bestiary? "It's a reptile so cold will slow it down. Otherwise, be careful of its lightning attack and you'll be fine!" he warned them all as he charged into battle as well.

Prompto squeaked, "It can use magic?", before he had to dodge out of the way of its tail.

Noctis took out a newly-crafted ice flask and threw it at the Quetzalcoatl before warping in to attack as well. It was a hard fight, made harder by how tired they all were. The Quetzalcoatl swooped around, flying and attacking without real pause. It targeted Iris more often than not, the younger girl having to dodge out of the way of both its claws and the lightning that it spread around the humid floors.

Noctis finally had enough. He was tired; exhausted even! Iris was getting injured more and more. They were running out of potions and he was running out of magic. If it hadn't been for Aranea's ability to jump so high, and Prompto's unerring aim, they probably would have fared much, much worse. It was time to finish this!

Noctis retreated to catch his breath, searching for the right moment to strike. When it came he didn't hesitate. Noctis warp-struck using his lance, straight into its eyes as it started to turn after attacking Ignis. The combined weight of Noctis and momentum of the turn drove the lance deep into the eye, deep enough that Noctis didn't feel it budge at all.

That was perfect. Noctis grinned and fished out another flask. "Eat this!" He smashed the flask on his lance, willing his magic to spread downwards instead out outwards. It listened. The frost dove through the lance and through the eye but didn't stop there, It kept spreading into the Quetzalcoatl until all of its head was frozen solid.

Noctis warped away even as the carcass started to fall. He dropped to his knees and then rolled onto his back. "Please tell me we don't have to fight anymore. At least for today," he whined softly when Ignis came to check on him.

Fortunately for Noctis, that seemed to be the case; they were able to finish crossing the hall without trouble. The mythril ore was easy to collect, Noctis sending it straight into his armory. Climbing back up though… They didn't have to fight, but having to climb back up all those floors was just as tiring.

Noctis stretched as they finally stepped out of the ruins and into the open air. The only Niflheim soldiers left at the grove were Biggs and Wedge, but that didn't really surprise him at this point. What did was the sudden, almost-simultaneous ringing of their phones, all four of them.

Noctis frowned. "Did everyone get a bunch missed calls from Cor and Gladio?" They all nodded. Iris was already checking the voicemail left by her brother.

She put the phone to her ear, biting her lower lip as she concentrated on hearing what was being said. Seconds later, Iris' legs gave out from under her and she dropped to the ground. Her face was pale, her eyes filled with tears as she started sobbing while desperately clutching the phone to her head.

"IRIS!" Everyone hurried to her side but she couldn't manage to say what was going on. Just sobbing and shaking her head at the questions being asked. Noctis' phone vibrated once more, **new voice mail from Cor Leonis**. He dialed and brought it to his ear.

"Your Highness…. Clarus Amicitia is alive. Get back now."

A/N: And now we officially (finally XD) enter the fix it part of this story.


	49. Chapter 49

Noctis didn't waste any time in getting them moving. He looked at Prompto and Ignis, stating "Clarus is alive," before turning to Aranea. "Thanks for the help, but we need to go." A short moment later, the four were on their chocobos and heading back to the Regalia as quickly as they could.

Noctis barely remembered the drive from the Vesperpool to the lighthouse. He just knew he had definitely broken the speed limit and would have driven over any imperial barricade, had there been any.

After slamming on the brakes, throwing the car into park and jumping out of the car, Noctis ran into the house without waiting for anyone. Iris flew past him as he slowed down to open the front door and he followed after her. "Dad!" she shouted, only to come to a sudden stop right at the entrance.

Noctis frowned and looked past her. Blinked a bit. Stared a bit more then turned to glare at Cor. Clarus Amicitia was standing in the kitchen, pale and bruised but otherwise looking fine. "Your message made it sound like he was in bad shape," Noctis growled, carefully guiding Iris further into the house.

Cor shrugged. "I said no such thing; you should know not to presume things before having all the information at your disposal," but the small quirk of his lips told them he was amused. Clarus chuckled and moved to embrace the still stunned Iris. Noctis frowned; one of his hands was wrapped in bandages. He glanced up to Gladio but received only a small shake of the head in reply.

"Your highness." Clarus' voice drew his attention back, and Noctis hissed in surprise as his father's Shield knelt down, "I failed in my duties as Shield to your father and allowed him to be injured. I stand ready to accept my punishment." Noctis closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Clarus had always cared a great deal about traditions and his duties as Shield. His current behavior was expected, even if he knew Noctis hated it. Then he caught on to something, "Injured? Not dead?" Noctis took a step closer to Clarus and demanded, "Do you know what happened to Dad?"

Clarus bowed his head, refusing to meet Noctis' eyes as he replied, "Not since we were separated over a week ago, your Highness. He was alive at that time, though injured." Noctis stumbled back a step, hand covering his mouth. His dad hadn't died when Insomnia had been taken!

Ignis and Prompto were right there to support Noctis. It seemed like Gladio and the others were already aware of this fact since none seemed too surprised by it. Ignis allowed Prompto to guide Noctis to a chair as he turned to the still kneeling Amicitia with a frown, "Lord Amicitia, if his Majesty is still alive then your duty is clear. Any punishment will have to wait until after all of the royal family are safe once more, do you not agree?"

Clarus nodded and finally allowed Gladio to help him to his feet. With Iris clinging to his side, Clarus told them about the attack on the Citadel and what had transpired afterwards. There was little to say, as Navalus and Lance had been able to find out most of the details concerning the attack.

Clarus had been with Regis when the attack started and they had both led the initial resistance against the invasion. It hadn't lasted very long despite their best effort, and Regis ordered a complete evacuation of the Citadel and Insomnia. They had never managed to reach the King's office to make use of the emergency broadcast signal.

Clarus sighed and shook his head, "Even now I cannot be certain of what happened. One moment we were running down the hall towards the office, and the next I woke up in a cell on a Niff airship with Regis across from me."

Luna spoke up from the sofa. "The memory lost is likely from a severe concussion. There were traces of it left when I checked." Noctis thanked her wordlessly with a smile.

Clarus finished his tale. "There is little else to say. We were transferred to a Niflheim base somewhere and kept together until a week ago when they came to get me. I woke up to Gladiolus and Cor shouting a bit over a day ago." He waited for Noctis to react, worried about younger man.

Noctis was still stunned by the news. The fact that they had no idea where his dad was, or in what state, didn't matter right now. His dad was alive! How could he not be happy!

He looked up to Clarus, beaming. "Thank you for letting me know about Dad. And I am glad to see you doing so well." Clarus nodded, hugging Iris and Gladio closer to him.

Ignis took over the kitchen, declaring the occasion worthy of a feast to cheers of all present. Gladio left his dad's side to hug his boyfriends, his new scars hinting at the harshness of the trial he had undergone. They all wanted to ask questions but it was clear that Gladio had no intention of speaking just yet.

Exhausted as most of them were, breakfast was quiet and Noctis was the first to excuse himself to rest. Prompto and Ignis were quick to follow. Iris refused to leave her dad's side but even she couldn't stay awake for much longer, leaving Gladio to bring her to bed.

 _Noctis looked up at the shimmering ceiling of water. It was amazing, even in a dream. The hall looked different now that Noctis thought about it. The walls were no longer crumbling from time and there were banners of blue and gold hanging around._

 _ **I thought I felt a son of Lucii. What brings you to my hall, child?**_

 _Noctis glanced over his shoulder, surprisingly unsurprised by the voice or its owner. Brown hair that held gold reflections, wide deep green eyes and a quirky smile met Noctis' appraisal without concern as they waited for an answer._

 _Noctis shifted to face the owner of the hall. "I was just wondering what the ruins looked like before they were lost to time, and to whom they belonged." He shrugged._

 _ **I see. Curiosity is quite the intriguing thing, is it not? It can allow for great discoveries, or can cause great harm to those who follow its whims.**_ _They smiled at Noctis while stepping closer._ _ **But that does not answer your question.**_ _A wave of a hand wearing silver and gold chains encompasses the hall._ _ **This used to be a place of learning, one of the first to be open to all who wished to learn. That was quite a ways before the fall of Solheim and it is only by the grace of Carbuncle that the hall, and its knowledge, still exists within his realm.**_

 _Noctis leaned back against the balustrade. "A place of learning huh? How come Carbuncle was able to bring you here? It seems like an odd thing to do for a school." He glanced out of the corner of his eye at his dream companion, curious about the answer._

 _They smiled mischievously._ _ **Indeed, such an act would be strange for a simple school, as you put it. But this place was far from simple. Here is where many spells were crafted and many magitek devices were designed for the betterment of humankind. It was also where Carbuncle was worshipped, not as guardian of dreams and children, but as Guide to inventors and scholars.**_

" _Really? Carbuncle was the astral of school?" Noctis said surprised, turning to stare at them. They smiled and nodded. Noctis frowned and asked, "What happened? Luna never even mentioned that Carbuncle was responsible for such things and she's the Oracle!"_

 _The owner tilted the head slightly, just enough to rest their chin on a closed fist and be able to look at Noctis easily._ _ **Solheim fell by Ifrit's wrath, of course.**_ _They shook their head and sighed mournfully._ _ **Ifrit blamed the rise of Magitek devices and the advancement of science for the diminishing in worship towards the Astrals. Carbuncle did his best to save as many as he could; but his power could not compare to the Six, and he was needed in so many places.**_

 _ **After Ifrit's defeat, Bahamut decided that Ifrit's words had some truth in them, and forbade Carbuncle from ever helping humankind think up new inventions or spells. By then, Carbuncle had already lost most of his powers; and the humans that remained on Eos only remembered him as a guardian.**_ _The owner sighed again and waited for Noctis to say something._

 _Noctis was stunned; he knew that many of the minor astrals and messengers had died during the great war between Ifrit and the other five, but to think Carbuncle had been involved to such a point? "Wait, what about these halls then? I know I'm dreaming so…. Did you also receive Carbuncle's blessing?"_

 _They grinned, looking pleased by Noctis' words._ _ **In a way. I was the librarian of these halls when the war started. When Ifrit brought down the meteor, Carbuncle was afraid of having so much knowledge destroyed without a trace and so he used most of his powers to 'guide' the halls into a living dream. I do not age or change but I am aware of**_ _ **all**_ _**that happens in Eos.**_

 _Noctis picked up on the slight inflection. Had Carbuncle helped him to reach this 'living dream' for a reason? Maybe he could…._

"...tis. Noctis. You really should wake up." Ignis' voice pulled him out of his talk with the owner of the hall under Steyliff Grove. He groaned, shifting to push his face deeper into his pillow. Someone's quick hands stole it from him with a chuckle.

Noctis opened an eye just a crack and glared at Prompto, who just grinned as he hugged the stolen pillow to his chest. A tender hand brushed through his bangs and his sight was filled with Ignis' amused expression. He sighed and pushed himself up, there would be no more rest for him until… he glanced at the clock and sighed; it was just past 2pm.

"What is it Specs? I was having a really interesting conversation too…" Noctis grumbled as he yawned.

Ignis lifted an eyebrow at the mention of having a conversation but put it aside for now. He handed Noctis some clean clothes and said, "I do apologize for waking you but there are things that need to be discussed. The glaives have returned an hour ago and bring news from Lestallum."

Noctis straightened and hurried to get dressed. "How are they?" Ignis smiled and simply stood beside Prompto as they waited for him to be ready. Once he was, Noctis hurried out of the room and grinned as he saw Nyx, Crowe, Pelna and Libertus lounging around in the living room with the rest of those staying at the house.

They looked tired but unharmed. Noctis hurried down the stairs to welcome them back. "You're back. How did it go? How is the situation in Lestallum?" He asked quickly.

"It went surprisingly well especially since all Niflheim troops pulled back from Lestallum two days ago." Nyx's words brought Noctis to a screeching halt. Niflheim had pulled back their troops? Why would they do that? Noctis looked over to see how Cor and Clarus were reacting to this.

They both seemed grim and worried about it.

Noctis sat down, "And the people? Were they okay?" He hoped that there hadn't been another Insomnia, where the army had allowed daemons to run rampant in the streets and their human troops to loot at will.

Nyx placated his fears quickly, a knowing and prideful look in his eyes. "They're fine. It seems like the commander in charge there, someone named Loqi, didn't want to risk causing a power outage. There were a few roughed up folks but no one's dead." Noctis slumped down in relief.

Cor spoke up from beside him, "There's more. We got word that the troops from Lestallum have all headed towards the open seas between Accordo and Niflheim." He looked over to Luna, looking healthier than the first few days of her stay here. "There is no way the Empire isn't aware that you have been waking the Astrals. I fear they intend on an ambush when you head to Altissia to wake the Tide Mother."

Clarus added, "There is also something I forgot to say earlier as well. It's about the Ring." Noctis turned to look at Clarus. There was only one ring he could be talking about.

"You know where it is?" Noctis asked.

Clarus shook his head, "Not its location, but I know who does." He looked over at Prompto and grinned, "Regis handed it to Silva when we came upon her in the Citadel. He told her that it had to make it to your hands. She promised she would delivery it. Frankly, I'm surprised she hasn't already."

Cor's facepalm could be heard in the stunned silence that followed.

A/N: Sorry for the wait. I had a few irl changes that needed adapting too. I hope you enjoyed the reveal about who has the Ring XD


	50. Chapter 50

Cor's facepalm could be heard in the stunned silence that followed.

Prompto stared at Clarus for half a second before bursting into laughter. This was such a typical Mom thing to do. Prompto shook his head when Ignis moved to check on him, "I'm fine. It's just so…"

Cor growled, "Like Sylva." And eyed Lance. "Are you sure you don't know what she's been doing?" Lance shook his head helplessly; he had been trying to figure out what had his wife so preoccupied that she couldn't find the time to come see them, but had yet to find a satisfactory answer.

Noctis sighed, leaning back as he considered the news. Prompto's mom had the Ring or knew where it would be, but no one knew where she was or how to contact her. He still had to get to Altissia to make a covenant with Leviathan. Noctis also had to save his dad, figure out how to retake Lucis from Niflheim and how to circumvent the Prophecy.

Talk about a headache waiting to happen!

"Noct?" Gladio's voice brought him back to the conversation. Noctis found himself the center of attention and frantically tried to remember the last few seconds. Gladio looked vaguely amused. "Dad wanted to know what we were planning on doing next?"

"Oh. Umm… I'm not sure actually." Noctis replied. "There are so many things we have to do and I'm not sure what to start with." He looked around the room and asked, "Any suggestions?"

Silence reigned in the living room at the reminder of the enormity of the task ahead. Ignis cleared his throat and proposed, "Perhaps we should look over all the information at our disposal before making any decisions? We have yet to hear the Glaives' full report on what they found in Lestallum."

Nyx straightened from his position by the wall and looked over at Noctis. When the prince nodded, Nyx walked over. Cor, Clarus, Gladio and Lance had already heard it before but they still listened closely as Nyx told them about what they had found in Lestallum.

The city had been under complete martial law for over two weeks, with soldiers patrolling the streets and controlling entry to the city. The commander had been Loqi Tummelt, and other than the initial seizure of all personnel linked to the Crown, the city's inhabitants had been left undisturbed as long as they obeyed the new law-makers.

The Glaives had been able to get into contact with Holly, the chief engineer of the power plant. It was through her that they had been able to get an idea of the state of the city and been able to move unhindered, and mostly unnoticed, through Lestallum. They had spent the first few days mapping out patrol routes and a general count of forces stationed in the city.

Nyx and Pelna had been able to sneak into Loqi's room and get into his personal communicator. It had yielded quite a bit of information including the frequencies used by Niflheim to communicate with high level commanders and several encrypted messages sent to General Glauca in Insomnia. Pelna was still working on decrypting it but Nyx was certain it wouldn't take much longer.

Lestallum had been emptied of troops overnight two days ago, with most of them being sent towards the coastal line of Niflheim closest to Accordo. This sudden movement of troops was the result of a direct order from Chancellor Izunia, who recalled all troops except for the minimum required to hold key locations with Lucis.

Lance was able to confirm the order as he, Monica and Dustin had been keeping in contact with the hunters throughout the country. There had been a noticeable increase in airships heading towards the coast and several of the smaller bases had been emptied. Whatever the Chancellor was planning, it required a large amount of troops.

There was very little news from Galahd or Insomnia itself. Navallus' last message had been very brief and stated only that they were still holding on to the majority of the islands despite almost constant attacks from Niflheim.

From Luche came the news that Niflheim's ruling council were bearing down on them by targeting anyone suspected of helping rebels and their families. Already several dozens of arrests had been made and they were expecting more as tension rose.

None of it was good. Noctis frowned as he listened to what was being said. Between the Chancellor planning something, possibly even waiting for them to go seek the Tide Mother as Cor had suggested; and the growing hold Niflheim was gaining in Lucis, Noctis knew he needed to act quickly and decisively.

The Prophecy could wait. Noctis needed to do his duty as prince and see to the safety of his people first and foremost. Yes; having the help of the Astrals and getting the Crystal back would be a huge boon, but he was not powerless without them either. Mind made up, Noctis said: "Our priority needs to be the people of Lucis, as much as I want to go save Dad right now."

He caught the look of pride Cor sent his way and forced himself not to beam in response. "Cor, how are your injuries?"

Cor got up, closed fist going to rest above his heart as he answered, "I am fully healed, Your Highness." Luna's pointed look of disbelief was not missed and he gave her a blank stare in return.

Noctis suppressed his laughter at the wordless banter between the two. "Luna obviously thinks otherwise, but I trust you to know your limits well enough by now that you won't be too reckless and get yourself killed. Just in case, Lance will go with you. Head back into Insomnia and find out what you can about those explosive bands they have the guards and Glaives wearing. We'll need to disable them if we want to retake the city."

Cor bowed to Noctis with Lance doing the same shortly afterwards, to his amusement and slight embarrassment. He turned his attention to Monica and Dustin. "Gather the Crownsguards and the hunters that can be spared, We need to have a clear and detailed map of where Niflheim has stationed their forces in Lucis and just how strong they are." The two snapped to attention and bowed to him.

Noctis smiled and turned his gaze to Lunafreya and Ravus. Both met his eyes firmly and with the clear intention of doing their part. Noctis was happy to see they looked a lot better than before. "How do you feel about going on a tour?" Noctis asked cheerfully.

Luna looked at him, slightly confused. "What are you talking about, Noctis?"

Noctis smiled back and explained his thoughts. "Well, since most of the vaccine for the Starscourge has been either destroyed or confiscated by Niflheim, there most likely has been an increase in scourge cases within Lucis. As such, this is the perfect time for the Oracle to go on a tour of Lucis and cheer the good people up."

He dropped his smile for a bit as he said, "I don't like the idea of you healing too much, but that's why I'm sending Ravus with you. He'll make sure you don't overdo it. Plus if you start off in Lestallum, and I hope you do, you might be able to see if the university can restart production of the cure while Niflheim is gone."

Ravus grinned as he sent Noctis a grateful look. "A good idea Noctis." He shot a content glance over to Lunafreya. "I'll ensure she does not overdo it."

Noctis nodded. "I'm counting on you."

Nyx traded looks with Crowe before asking, "What about us?"

Noctis smiled, "Oh, don't worry Nyx. I haven't forgotten about you." His smile edged towards predatory as he spoke. "We're going to need more help to deal with Niflheim so I want the four of you to head back home, to Galahd. Join up with Navallus and clear out the Nifs." He raised his hand before Nyx could protest.

"I know this sounds pointless Nyx, but I have a plan so just wait until I'm done. Please?" Noctis said simply. Nyx seemed torn, but after a few moments nodded and slumped back against the wall.

Ignis asked teasingly, "I do hope your plan includes us?"

Noctis chuckled. "It does. We are going to get into contact with the Resistance that Lance and Aranea were talking about. They seem well-organised and willing to cause trouble for the Emperor, so I'm hoping I can convince them to do more than just cause trouble."

Lance spoke up. "You want them to start a rebellion?" He seemed stunned but intrigued by the suggestion.

Noctis nodded, "Yes. Even if they don't manage to dethrone Iedolas, it will still force him to call back his troops from Lucis. He's already had to move a large amount for whatever the Chancellor is planning. Any other troops are going to have to come from those stationed either in Insomnia or fighting in Galahd."

Noctis looked around the room, pleased to note the various nods of agreements from the veterans surrounding him. He hadn't been absolutely certain his plan made sense but had hoped to convince them to give it a try. And he had.

Cor looked over at Clarus, "If you're going to be getting into contact with the Resistance, it'd be best if Lance went with you. Clarus can join me in Insomnia." Clarus glanced up at Cor and nodded. it made sense to send Lance, who had the most knowledge about the Resistance, with the prince.

Noctis shook his head. "Actually, I was hoping Clarus could start trying to find out where Dad is. We're going to need to rescue him even if it's only to keep Iedolas from using Dad as a hostage." He hated the thought of his dad being put in such a position but knew that the Emperor would do so without hesitation. Getting him out before it came to that was necessary.

Cor wasn't the only one who paled at the mention of such a horrible possibility. Noctis looked around the room once more, mentally checking off the things he wanted done and who was best suited for them. His eyes ended up meeting Iris' expecting ones and he mentally winced.

Iris was staring at Noctis, eyes bearing down on him with great expectation of being given a task herself. Part of her wanted to stay with her dad and her brother but she was an Amicitia; she wasn't going to hide when there was work to be done! Seeing that Noctis had no intention of saying anything, Iris stood up in a huff and said, "What about me? What am I supposed to do?"

Both Gladio and Clarus opened their mouths to speak, worry clear in their eyes but Iris cut them off before they even began. "I'm not just a little girl! I'm an Amicitia! I'm not going to wait around for others to fight and die when I could be helping! I can fight just like Dad and Gladdy! I want to help!" She planted her fists on her hips and glared resolutely at Noctis.

A/N: Sheesh, already 50 chapters? How did this become so big? Thanks for sticking with me for so long 3


	51. Chapter 51

Iris waited for an answer from Noctis, but it was Clarus that spoke. "Iris, that's enough." Iris twirled to face her father, mouth open to argue but the look in his eyes had her clam up. She gritted her teeth angrily and stomped out of the room rather than stay.

Noctis winced as the door slammed behind her and sighed. He didn't blame Iris for her outburst and could understand her desire to help but… He could not put her in harm's way now that Gladio was back and that they were changing their approach to the situation.

Clarus bowed to Noctis. "My apologies, Your Highness; I will speak with her afterwards." Noctis waved his apology away, they had to finish up their plans and get started on kicking Niflheim out of Lucis.

"It's fine, Clarus. Iris has been fighting beside us for a while because of the circumstances." Noctis said, "She can probably help Monica and Dustin with their information gathering while staying safe." Clarus seemed relieved to hear she would stay safe.

Ignis brought the conversation back on the plan gently. "That seems like a good idea, Noctis. As for our objective of contacting the Resistance, how exactly did you intend to do this?"

Noctis rubbed the back of his neck, "Ah, well, that part is where I could use some help. We know Aranea is part of it." He looked over to Lance. "Do you have anyone else we can talk to?"

Lance thought about it for a while before he answered. "I have a few people who might be able to help you get in contact with some of the resistance commanders. You'll have to do the convincing yourself though." Noctis nodded his understanding and Lance got up to grab some paper to write down the list of names for the prince.

They hashed out a few more details before putting an end to the discussion for the moment, mostly figuring out how to manage the few funds they had and how to safely keep in touch while on their respective missions. The last one came down to either pre-scheduling contact or having Noctis use his covenant with Carbuncle to keep in touch with everyone. It was clear which one was safer but it was also the one that they were the most reluctant to use.

As Noctis slumped into his seat, closing his eyes and wincing slightly at the growing migraine, he listened to the sounds of his friends and family moving around, alive, him. A dip in the couch and a warm rough hand coming to massage the back of his neck made him smile even before Gladio huffed, "Are you alright?"

Noctis felt part of his stress melt away as Gladio's hands worked their magic. "More or less. Better now that you're here. But…" He frowned and glanced at the closed door, "Are you sure you shouldn't be checking on Iris?" He was worried about her.

Gladio shifted closer to Noctis, tugging the prince until he had better access to the tense muscles on his shoulders and back. "It should be fine, Dad went to talk with her." He smiled sadly, "Neither of us wanted her to be in danger especially now that there are safer places for her to be. She'll understand once she calms down."

Noctis nodded and leaned back into the massage. "So… Are you going to tell us what happened?" He chuckled when his words caused the sounds of cleaning and gun maintenance to stop momentarily.

Gladio huffed a laugh as well, noticing Ignis and Prompto paying the duo a lot more attention now. They weren't the only ones as Nyx and Crowe also come over, brimming with curiosity. "Not much to say really. Cor brought me to the Trial Grounds where I got my ass kicked by the Blade Master at first. After he told me that I could try the trials if I wanted, we headed down into the crag and found my dad's ring on the ground."

Gladio caught the confused look in Nyx and Crowe's gaze and added a quick explanation for their sake, "The Amicitia Signet Ring is worn by the King's Shield at all times, kind of a symbolic shadow of the Ring of Lucii. Dad was wearing it when Insomnia was invaded so it was really odd to find it in the Tempering Ground. Especially since there was fresh blood on it." Gladio ruefully shook his head.

"Anyways, we figured it was just the Chancellor messing with us so I ignored it while we went through the Trials." Gladio paused for a moment, seemingly lost in his memories. "It was tough, tougher than I expected but it taught me a lot as well. After a while we managed to reach the Blade Master again."

Gladio burst out laughing at his memory and turned to Prompto, "You know Cor's sword?" Prompto nodded confused, though Cor's sigh from across the room made everyone chuckle. "Well he stole it from the last Chamber of the Tempering Ground!"

"Seriously?" Nyx exclaimed, twisting to look at Cor in surprise. The Marshall was pointedly looking away from their group but his hand was lightly touching the hilt of said blade.

Gladio smiled widely, eyes glinting wickedly, "I wasn't expecting that at all but it's true." His smile dropped rather quickly as he remembered what they had found inside though and he was more subdued as he continued. "The Blade Master was waiting for me there but he wasn't alone. Dad was…. Dad was there, unconscious and looking dead from where we were."

Gladio took a deep breath and reminded himself that his father was alright. "I lost it. I was so angry that I just charged at the Blade Master without a thought and made a mess of things. Still managed to kick his ass but," Gladio motioned towards the new scars he had on his forehead and chest, "it was a near thing."

Cor made his way to them as Gladio finished speaking, "Gilgamesh had no idea Clarus was there. It was quite the shock for him when we were able to get to him and make sure he was alright." Cor laughed, "I never expected to see the Blade Master so embarrassed. He ended up helping us get Clarus back to the entrance quickly."

Noctis smiled, this Blade Master seemed like quite the character and maybe, "Any chance we can get this guy to help us?" Both Gladio and Cor seemed surprised by the suggestion.

"I don't know," Cor said slowly as he pondered the possibility.

Noctis shifted to face them and simply said, "It's worth a try if we're in the area. The worst that can happen is a no, right?" Ignis nodded proudly by his side, finding new allies to help them was very important if they wanted to succeed.

Clarus and Iris returned to the small house almost an hour later. Iris seemed slightly crestfallen but less angry which Noctis took as a good sign. She immediately headed straight for the card-playing prince.

"Noctis?" Iris stopped in front of him and waited. Noctis looked up with a smile, putting his cards face down on the coffee table to give her his full attention. Iris dropped her gaze briefly before raising it again to meet Noctis' squarely. "I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. I know you're doing your best to keep everyone safe."

Noctis smiled and listened carefully. When Iris finished speaking and bowed towards him, Noctis rose to his feet and moved towards her slowly. He gently reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you Iris. I hope you understand that I'm not trying to make you feel less accomplished than anyone here, but I simply want to keep you safe." Iris blushed slightly and nodded her understanding. "Good; now that that's clear, what do you think of helping Monica and Dustin with their task?"

Iris looked a bit surprised but gleefully accepted the offered task.

Daylight faded a bit earlier than Ignis would have expected, but the purple and pink ribbons that danced through the darkening sky made the slight change go mostly ignored. Gladio was a warm weight by his side. Prompto and Noctis were on his other side, cuddling with them.

It was nice to just have some time to relax, to be all together now that Gladio was safely back with them. Lance had given them a short list of people that might be able to give them a link into the Resistance's chain of command. The plan was to allow Gladio a few days of rest, and time with his family, before heading out to Galdin Quay to contact the first of the five people listed.

But for now, Ignis had every intention to enjoy these few days of rest and peace with his boyfriends. He cuddled closer to Prompto and enjoyed the sunset, smiling as the mechanical click of his camera was quietly heard.

"It is breathtaking, isn't it?" Ignis whispered. He heard various agreeing noises from his partners and laughed gently. Noctis sounded half asleep already, and a glance showed his head nestled comfortably against Prompto's shoulder.

Gladio seemed content with just basking in the fading sunlight. Ignis glanced up to Gladio and frowned as his eyes came to rest on the new scar over his brow. "Gladio?" Ignis asked softly, "Are you truly alright?" Gladio hadn't said much about his trials but his scars spoke of its dangers. Ignis just hoped that Gladio had sought proper medical care after his ordeal.

Gladio smiled and dropped a kiss on Ignis' head. "I'm fine Specs. Dad was in a worse condition than I was." Ignis raised an eyebrow at the comment which sent Gladio into a fit of chuckles. "I'm fine! Really Specs! I had plenty of potions and Luna checked me out just to be sure."

Gladio saw that Ignis wasn't the only one who looked worried. Prompto and Noctis were also paying attention to their conversation. Gladio shifted to free an arm and extended it towards them in a wordless invitation.

Noctis and Prompto both took it with joyful cheer, piling into his arms and squishing Ignis against Gladio chest. Gladio inhaled deeply, savoring the unique smells of his boyfriends mixing all together. "I promise you, I am fine. I was injured during the trials but Cor and Luna made sure I was okay afterwards. So please don't worry about me." He gave them all a kiss then asked, "What about you three? How did it go for the Mythril?"

Ignis almost jumped out of Gladio's arms at the reminder. He had almost forgotten about the Mythril Ore! "The ore! I forgot about it! Is Cid still here?" Ignis stammered as he tried to wiggle his way free.

Noctis chuckled and grabbed Ignis' arm. "Come on Specs, Cid'll be there tomorrow." Ignis looked utterly scandalized by the thought of putting such a simple task until the next day that Prompto couldn't resist taking a picture with a beaming grin. Noctis chuckled and added, "Prince's order!" Ifrit be damned, he was so glad he was still just the prince! "We're going to relax tonight and deal with the ore and what preparations we'll need to do, tomorrow."

Ignis wondered if he should argue about it, more as a matter of principle than anything else, before deciding it was too much trouble. Besides, he thought as Prompto tugged him into another kiss, it was much more important to take advantage of the solitude offered by the lighthouse.


	52. Chapter 52

The next few days passed by quickly as they readied themselves for their mission. Nyx had decided to escort Luna and Ravus on their tour; a tour that would now end in Galahd. Noctis didn't mind since it meant Luna and Ravus would be safe while they were working, and Nyx would still bring the glaives over to help Navalus and Galahd with kicking out the Nifs.

The days allowed Gladio to spend some time with Iris and his dad as well, something that no one dared interfere with- even if it meant Noctis got woken up at ungodly hours to help everyone else. Prompto and Ignis were similarly dragged into helping out as the vast network of hunters and tipsters was activated. Information about the Niflheim soldiers' movements and base locations started pouring in much quicker than Noctis anticipated.

Cor laughed when Noctis expressed his surprise. "Did you expect the people to simply stay silent and obey the rules imposed by Niflheim, without trying to fight back at all?" He shook his head. "Not many will risk their lives the way the glaives or guards do, but the citizens of Lucis are more than willing to pass on information when they have it."

Noctis nodded his understanding even as he pondered how little he knew about the people outside of Insomnia. The Wall might have protected the Crown City, but it hadn't done the rest of Lucis any favors, and had increased the division between those who lived within it and those outside of it.

Noctis figured that once they had retaken Insomnia, he would have to go on a real tour of Lucis with his friends. To meet people and see the sights. And, of course, to continue the survey that had been started before the Treaty Signing.

But all of those things would have to wait until after Noctis had kicked Niflheim out of Lucis, saved his dad and, maybe if he had time, fulfilled the Prophecy.

Noctis grinned as he watched Gladio bid his sister and dad goodbye from the Regalia. Prompto was sitting comfortably in the front seat, helping Ignis to finish double checking that their map had been properly updated with troop locations and bases. They were ready to set out towards Galdin Quay to meet up with the first of Lance's contacts.

"Take care of his Highness, Gladiolus." Clarus said, giving Gladio a hug.

Gladio laughed, "I will Dad. You take care of yourself." He turned to Iris. "Keep an eye on him for me, Shrimp?" Iris nodded as she too hugged Gladio.

Gladio gave them both one last look before joining Noctis at the back of the Regalia. Ignis and Prompto lifted their head up from the map; and Ignis asked, "Ready to go, Gladio?" Gladio nodded.

Ignis smiled, handing the map off to Prompto as he straightened to start the car. With one last wave from them all, the four men left Cape Caem behind once more.

The person they were supposed to meet in Galdin Quay was a certain reporter that Noctis remembered as being very nosy and unusual. Dino Ghiranze was the journalist who had told them about the boats being put on hold before the attack on Insomnia.

Noctis barely remembered the man, but Lance said he had a rather impressive reputation for getting reliable information on many scandals outside of the Crown City. Dino's information network apparently extended well into Niflheim, and Lance believed he was part of a group that helped refugees cross the border into Lucis.

If that was true then it spoke of the man's character. Noctis watched the world through the window and considered how to approach the reporter. He took out his phone and quickly moogled the name. His eyes widened at the results.

 **Bribing of Orphanage for Illegal Experiment** by Dino Ghiranze. _Three orphanages in the outer Lestallum region have been implicated in a large-scale children-trafficking scheme…._

 **CEO of Livery Fashion Arrested for Breaking Labor Laws** by Dino Ghiranze. _The CEO and founder of Livery Fashion was arrested on Friday night at the VIP night club, Celeste….._

 _ **How to Make your Own Necklace**_ by Dino Ghiranze. _Looking for the perfect necklace to go with the perfect dress but can't find it? Why not make it yourself instead?..._

Article after article written by the reporter showed up as he scrolled down. Articles about scandals stood beside do-it-yourself jewelry making guides. Dino even had a store where he sold some jewelry on demand. It made for an interesting combination; a journalist who was also a did jewelry as a hobby.

"Doing some research?" Prompto asked, twisting in his seat to look at Noct.

Noctis nodded, "Ya. This Dino seems to have quite the nose for scandals, and jewelry making." He showed Prompto some of the articles written by Dino as well as some of the jewelry featured on his shop.

Prompto hummed in delight at some of the designs, quickly checking the site on his own phone. He had refused to read the article about the orphanages but had read the one about the CEO of Livery Fashion. "Do you think he'll be able to help us?"

Noctis shrugged. "If not, then we'll go see the next one until we find someone who can." Of course, it would be best if Dino could help them. The sooner they got in contact with Niflheim's Resistance, the sooner Noctis could try to convince them to rise in rebellion within the Empire.

Convincing them would be quite the challenge by itself, one Noctis could only hope to be able to face successfully. An elbow in the ribs jolted him from his thoughts as Gladio's gruff voice teased, "I can hear you thinking from over here Noct. Whatever it is, take a deep breath and try to relax." His tone turned more caring towards the end. "What's getting you all riled up so early?"

Noctis smiled, Gladio's concern was deeply appreciated. "Just started thinking about all the things I… we have to do and it… got overwhelming." He shook his head, trying to clear away the ever growing list of things that needed to go right before he achieved his goals.

Gladio closed his book, reaching over to gently lay a hand on Noctis' arm. The understanding in his eyes was all too clear even to Noct, "Let's start with just one thing, okay? Getting to Galdin Quay and talking with this reporter dude."

Prompto interrupted. "That's two things, Gladio." His wide grin dropped as Gladio mockingly lunged at him. Ignis' stern warning just added to the incredulous scene and Noctis ended up laughing, stress melting away from his shoulders.

"Thanks guys." Noct said simply. Gladio nudged him playfully as he settled back into the backseat, and if Noctis noticed how much closer he was, he certainly wasn't going to say anything.

The hours whittled aways with little worry as Ignis drove them towards Galdin Quay. He took a few back roads to avoid known blockades but they were able to arrive just as the sun set over the sea.

"Oh! We have to grab a few pictures! Please!" Prompto said excitedly. He was already taking several of the picturesque view.

Ignis chuckled, "I don't see why we wouldn't have a bit of time for pictures. But first, let us see if Mr Ghiranze is around." He guided the Regalia into a spot in the parking and turned it off with a sigh. He would be glad to stretch his legs.

Noctis followed Prompto out of the car, smiling at how happy he was as he snapped away with his camera. The four headed towards the ferry counter where they had first met Dino. The resort was quiet, with only a few people who weren't staff walking around.

It seemed like the ferries were still closed. At least that's what Noctis assumed from quickly scanning the poster taped on the booth. "Any sign of Dino?" He asked, looking around for the platinum blond reporter, but seeing no sign of the man.

Gladio shook his head, "No sign of the guy here. Should we try the resort?" He nodded towards the brightly-lit restaurant. "We could grab something to eat while we're there." It didn't take much to convince the others.

The restaurant appeared, and sounded, busy with laughter and music floating across the water towards them. Gladio grinned; the music was pretty good. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could convince Ignis to dance a bit.

"I wouldn't go there if I were you, Your Majesty." A voice called out lazily from behind them.

Ignis twirled in place, hand raising up protectively in front of Noctis and Prompto. The owner of the voice was nothing more than a shadow among the night's horizon before they came into view with an amused chuckle.

"Wow there! I mean no harm to his good Majesty there. Just thought you'd prefer not to walk into a restaurant full of Niflheim's… Ahem, finest commanders and politicians." Dino said with a shrug.

Noctis stared at the reporter for a moment, surprised not only by the fact that there was apparently a bunch of Niflheim commanders here in Galdin Quay but that Dino had such a casual way of dealing with the information. He desperately wanted to charge into the restaurant and kill them all. Or better yet, ask Titan or Ramuh to come and do it for him!

Gladio wasn't too surprised by the red coloring Noctis' eyes as he simply reached out to grab his arm, ensuring his sometimes-reckless boyfriend wouldn't go charging into his own death. "The warning is appreciated, though I'd prefer it if you didn't go about shouting that title around if there are so many of our enemies close by." He hissed angrily at Dino.

The reporter grinned, seemingly unconcerned by Gladio's concern. "If that's your desire." He shrugged again then jerked his head towards the coastline. "I have a place further down the beach. It's not as nice as the resort but it's better than going in there." Dino waited, a slightly knowing grin in place.

Ignis cast his gaze towards his partners. Gladio was keeping Noctis grounded with them, both physically and emotionally. Prompto was… Ignis couldn't help the smile that emerged; Prompto had moved a bit farther away from the group, still within ear shot but now with a better view in case of a fight. Ignis turned his attention back to the reporter. "I suppose that will be quite true. Please lead the way."

Dino gave a short bow before starting to walk through the sandy beach. He skirted the edges of walkway until they approached the area traditionally reserved for camping. Dino didn't stop there; instead walking past the worried guests stuck there for the evening.

After a good quarter of an hour, the group finally saw the light of a outside porch. Dino swept towards the banged-up house with a motion of his hand and announced, "Home away from home! Hope you don't mind a bit of a mess; I didn't really expect visitors, especially of the royal kind." He chuckled as he unlocked the door.

The inside of the house was indeed a bit messy; papers and books thrown all over the place but otherwise it seemed very clean. Gladio finished his quick sweep of the place before allowing Noctis to enter with Prompto and Ignis. Dino threw his jacket onto a chair carelessly and asked, "Pasta good for ya?"

Ignis quickly stepped up, "If you don't mind, I'd rather be the one cooking." Dino shrugged and changed his course from the kitchen to the living room, where he ended up dropping on the couch with a distinct sigh of relief.

As Ignis headed to the kitchen to prepare their meal, Noctis made a beeline to Dino. Since he could just go and deal with the annoyances making themselves at home in his country, then he could at least get a move on his self-appointed task.

Dino watched as Noctis dropped into the seat in front of him, "So, you going to grant me an exclusive interview and tell me what you're doing here, Your Majesty?"

Noctis took a deep breath, held it, then slowly released it before he spoke. "Perhaps that could be arranged."

Dino straightened on the couch. "Oh?"

Noctis nodded. "It would depend, of course, on whether or not you can help us with something. If you can, then an exclusive interview is a fair price once everything is settled down."

Dino leaned towards Noctis, hands clasped together tightly. "And what would this thing that I could maybe help you with be? Your Majesty."

Getting called by that title, especially now that he knew his father was alive, was getting on his nerves. "We have been told you might be able to help us get in contact with some of the decision makers of the Niflheim Resistance."

Dino tensed up for a moment before relaxing, his head dropping forward until Noctis could no longer see his expression. "And why would you want to do that?" came the question after several tense moments.

Noctis frowned; Dino's reaction seemed to indicate that he did indeed have a way to do just that. Now Noctis just had to convince him to do it. "I'm afraid I can't divulge our reasons completely, but I strongly believe that the Resistance has much to gain from cooperating with us during this… crisis." Noctis forced himself to stay calm and composed even as Dino lifted his head to scrutinize Noctis carefully.

With a deep sigh Dino slumped backwards into the couch. "An exclusive non-censored interview after the conclusion of this 'crisis' and full access to any documents I want for 5 years after."

"Two years." Noctis shot back.

"Three; I'm willing to be censored on what documents I can access if it pertains to national security, but only if that." Dino retorted lazily.

Noctis wanted to glance at Ignis or even Prompto but couldn't afford to do so. "The interview is restricted to a maximum of a total of 5 hours no matter what, and we have a deal."

Dino grinned, leaned forwards again and extended his hand. "A pleasure doing business with you, Your Majesty."

A/N: I'm not sure if I managed to do Dino justice. Hopefully he wasn't too out of character.


	53. Chapter 53

It took a day before Dino called Ignis with news. "Heya champs! How fast can ya get to the Three Z Motel?"

Ignis quickly found where said motel was before replying, "A couple of hours at the latest. Why?"

Dino cheerfully said, "Cuz that's where you'll be able to meet the people His Majesty was looking for. They'll be there till morning, room 106."

Ignis waited a beat for something else but when Dino stayed silent, he sighed. "I do hope they are expecting us, Mr Ghiranze."

Dino laughed, "'Course they are. Just don't forget to bring some food with ya. They'll be starving I expect." He hung up before Ignis could demand what the reporter meant by that, leaving him to glare at the phone dejectedly.

The phone call had been loud enough for everyone to hear what was being said. Noct scrubbed his face with a dirt-ridden hand before realizing what he'd done, and groaned in annoyance at himself. "I guess we'll just have to go and see for ourselves, Specs."

Gladio shrugged as he finished collecting the trophies they needed to claim the reward for the hunt they had just finished. "Yup, and if Dino is pulling a fast one then we'll just go track him down afterwards to remind him of the folly of such actions." Picking up the last trophy, Gladio sauntered over to wrap an arm around Ignis shoulders amicably. "At least he called after the fight was over."

Ignis' shoulders slumped and he exhaled forcibly. "I suppose we should be grateful it did not take longer." He straightened and looked at his friends with a disapproving expression. "And that we have enough time to get cleaned up properly! I shudder to think of a worst first impression than this."

Noctis and Prompto glanced at each other, amusement and agreement battling in their minds as they saw the state of their clothes. Not that it was _their_ fault it rained during the morning and made the ground into a mudslide.

Prompto was caked in mud, as he and Noct had launched a bet earlier to see how many enemies they could take down in a single slide. Noctis was a bit better off, as warping seemed to shake off part of the mud,but not by much. Prompto grinned. "Guess we're going to have to wash up before we meet up with our new friends." Noctis nodded with a grin; he didn't mind the mud too much considering how much fun he'd had.

Noctis started walking towards the Regalia, only to find his path cut off by Ignis. "And where do you think you're going?" he asked with a indignant glare.

Noctis tilted his head and pointed at the car. "There? We are on a time limit." Huge hands encircled his waist and picked him up. "Wha?! Gladio!"

"Neither you nor Prompto are going anywhere near the Regalia as caked in mud as you are." Ignis declared. Gladio had Noctis over one shoulder, and was trying to lift Prompto over his other one despite his attempts to wiggle free. "Now I do believe I saw a river to our right. Gladio, if you would be so kind." Ignis gave a mocking bow towards where he thought the river was.

Gladio laughed as he finally managed to wrangle Prompto over his shoulder. "With pleasure, Ignis. A cold bath for his Highness and his highness' boyfriend coming right up!" He walked off in the indicated direction with confidence.

Prompto and Noctis were wriggling incessantly on his shoulders, like two cats trying to escape from a much needed bath. Gladio huffed laughingly as he tightened his grip on both men and quickened his pace. It didn't take long for him to see the sun glinting on the river's edge.

Gladio jogged over to the edge, carefully inspecting the river before nodding to himself. He shifted Noctis and Prompto on his shoulders, and looked over to Ignis. "Well? What do you think, Specs?"

Ignis came to a stop beside Gladio, glasses sparkling in the sun. "It looks perfectly freezing, Gladio. And it doesn't appear as though the current is too strong in this area." He grinned, glancing up to the irate Noctis as he added, "I would even say the area is perfect for fishing."

Gladio burst out laughing at Ignis' comment even as he took two step forward to throw both men into the waters. Noctis shrieked as he sailed into the water. Prompto accepted his fate with silent resignation.

Gladio watched as both of them emerged from their plunge, spluttering and marginally more clean. He leaned forwards a bit, "Better go under a few more time before gett…WAA!" _SPLASH!_

Ignis looked all too satisfied, both hands raised from where he had pushed Gladio into the river. Gladio roared as he burst out of the river, twirling to stare at Ignis. "You! You!" He scrambled up the riverbed and chased after his betrayer.

Ignis laughed as he dodged, jumped and danced out of Gladio's reach. He realised he had made a mistake when something shattered behind him and the muddy ground became a skating ground. Unable to regain his balance on time, Ignis slipped backwards.

Gladio yelled triumphantly as he lunged forward and caught Ignis just before he hit the ground. "Got you you little…!" Gladio wasted no time to toss Ignis over his shoulder and strutted back towards a grinning, naked Noctis and the equally-naked Prompto.

Noctis leaned against the riverbed as he watched Ignis' futile struggle against Gladio. "So good of you to join us, Iggy." Prompto laughed and carefully got up unto the side as he summoned his camera and got ready for the perfect action shot.

Ignis begged and threatened as Gladio walked over to the river, but the Shield was unmoved by any of it. Gladio simply asked, "You ready, Prompto?" Prompto responded by bringing his camera to his eye and giving Gladio a slightly awkward thumbs up. Ignis gave one last desperate attempt to escape Gladio's inescapable grip before being sent sailing through the air.

Prompto held down the shutter as Ignis flew with all the grace of a featherless chocobo to plunge into the river. A spluttering, soaking wet Ignis rose from the waters trying to wipe water from his eyes as he marched back to shore. Prompto grinned as he kept taking pictures, only stopping when Ignis came within arm's reach.

Gladio grinned as he watched Ignis climb out. "The water's nice and cold, ain't it?" he teased. Ignis glared at Gladio as he wrung out his shirt.

Noctis dropped back into the river, diving under to wash out the mud from his hair before coming up. "It's not that cold anymore." Prompto sent his camera away before joining Noctis in the water.

Ignis felt his annoyance fade away as he watched Noctis get splashed by Prompto. Gladio settled down beside him, offering him a can of Ebony as they watched both men dunk each other with growing laughter.

Ignis took the time to get changed into dryer clothes, even offering Gladio some as well before he accepted the can of Ebony. "Truce then?"

Gladio grinned and nodded, "Truce." They stayed for a little longer before Gladio called out, "Okay you two! We best get going if we want to have time to grab our rewards and get to the motel at a reasonable hour." Prompto and Noctis waddled out of the river, pushing each other even as they shivered.

Ignis tutted as he found blankets within their things to give the two. "Let's get you two warmed up before you both get sick." He took out some clean clothes, laying them out on some dry rocks to get warmed by the sun.

They headed back to the Regalia once Noct and Prompto got dressed in their warm clothes. Ignis slipped behind the wheel and asked, "Then shall we head to the Cauthess rest stop to finish our hunt?"

Noctis nodded, "Sounds good to me, Specs. After that, it's off to the Three Z's Motel!" He pumped his arm in the air enthusiastically. The short playful stop had filled him with energy and optimism, something they were all happy to see.

They weren't far from the rest stop and Gladio quickly hopped out of the Regalia to go get the rewards for their hunt. He returned with a wide grin, tossing a brown bag onto Noctis' lap with a "Got us some lunch as a bonus." Noctis looked inside, mouth watering at the smell wafting from within.

Four paper wrapped sandwiches, still warm from where ever they had come from, dripping with sauce and oily fats. Noctis' stomach growled hungrily as the smells assaulted his nose and he grabbed one of the sandwiches gleefully.

Gladio laughed as he settled down in the Regalia, "Careful there Noct! The tipster gave those, said he was testing a new recipe and wanted to have people try it before putting it on the menu." He grabbed the sandwich Noctis handed him and unwrapped it.

Garula meat, cheese, a secret sauce layered between two thick slices of fluffy, airy bread. It looked, smelled and - after Gladio took a bite - tasted delicious. Not quite to the level of Ignis' homemade garula cheesesteak sandwich but damned close. He heard the others grab their own sandwich and start eating, even Ignis once Prompto unwrapped the sandwich for him.

"Quite delicious." Came the expected remark from Ignis. Gladio grinned as he watched Ignis' reflection take another bite from the sandwich. "I wonder about that sauce. Hmm… peppercorn? No, that would be too strong." Ignis took another bite and went on trying to figure out the sauce's ingredients for the majority of the ride to their destination.

They arrived a bit after mid-afternoon with Ignis carefully parking the car out of sight. Prompto got out and said, "So… Dino said we should bring food right?" Ignis nodded sharply, slightly annoyed at the reporter for his brazen disposition. "Then what should we do? Just grab some Crow's Nest?" He pointed at the fast food joint across from the motel.

Ignis twitched at the suggestion, "Feed that atrocious excuse for a heart attack to people we wish to ask for help?" Noctis and Prompto looked offended even as Gladio sniggered at the outrage just dripping from Ignis' voice. "Perish the thought. I will cook something worthy of the occasion. We have everything we need to make, let's see; I do believe I still have that Niflheim recipe for roast chicken."

Ignis was already moving, planning what he needed to do to prepare the meal he was imagining in his mind. Noctis shared an amused, fond glance with Gladio and Prompto as he followed after the cook. They helped him set up the cooking station and prepare everything for his meal then waited as Ignis worked his magic.

The meal Ignis made looked amazing. Since they didn't know how many people they were meeting, Ignis kept each part of the dish in separate air tight containers to keep them warm. Gladio grabbed the heavy pan containing the chicken, while Prompto grabbed the veggies and Ignis kept the mashed potatoes.

Noctis cleaned up quickly, sending most of it into the armiger and cleaning the stuff that needed to be cleaned immediately. The four walked over to the motel with Noctis in the lead. Room 106 was on the backside of the motel, conveniently out of sight from people using the roads.

Noctis knocked on the door and waited. No answer. He frowned and knocked again. Still nothing. Noctis glanced backwards, seeing worry and suspicion on the faces of his friends, but just as he was about to speak the door clicked open. Noctis turned back towards the room.

Everything became greytone. All sounds stopped abruptly. A figure he wished never to see again was there to greet him. "Hello, Your Highness; what brings you here to this small and inconspicuous room?" said Chancellor Izunia.


	54. Chapter 54

Noctis summoned his sword, fully expecting to hear his friends get ready to fight behind him. Instead, he heard absolutely nothing. Chancellor Izunia smirked "Is there something wrong, Your Highness?" not moving an inch from where he was.

Noctis desperately wanted to glance over his shoulder to check on his friends, but doing so would have been dangerous considering who stands in front of him. "Why are you here?" He demands instead.

Chancellor Izunia finally moved, the movement odd among the stillness of the world around them. "I'm afraid I cannot answer that, Your Highness." He stepped closer to Noctis, who barely refrained from stepping back. "Of course, if you were to answer my question first, I might find it in me to answer yours." His figure blurred suddenly and Noctis was left looking at a half opened door.

"I'm rather curious as to why Your Highness would be coming to this room, bearing what appears to be a rather traditional Niflheim supper with him." The Chancellor's voice came from behind him. Noctis twisted as quickly as he could without falling. His heart seized as he saw Chancellor Izunia beside Ignis, sampling a piece of chicken.

Ignis was looking straight ahead; unblinking, unmoving and unaware of the man beside him. Gladio and Prompto were the same, looking straight ahead at the door as though still waiting for Noctis to knock on it. They looked unharmed, even Prompto (despite his closeness to the Chancellor), which was a great relief to Noct.

"Now are you willing to answer my question, Your Highness?" Chancellor Izunia licked his finger before taking a single step away from Ignis. It was enough for Noctis to calm down and gather his thoughts.

"I'm unsure as to which you are referring to, Chancellor. You have asked me so many questions that I'm afraid I do not know which one you wish me to answer." Noctis replied, as he made his way to stand between his friends and the Chancellor, sword still in hand. He gave a proper bow from a prince to a Chancellor; one that would have made Ignis proud, but it was more to ensure the Chancellor didn't have any reason to hurt them than any real gesture of respect.

Chancellor Izunia smiled peacefully as he took a few more steps away from Noctis and his friends. "Of course, Your Highness." He returned the bow with his own, just as perfectly polite if slightly more mocking. "I was wondering what brings Your Highness to this small inconspicuous room with such a delightful Niflheim meal in hand?"

Noctis replied in as even a tone as he could manage, "Helping out some hunters in need of a meal. Or so I was told by the hunters we meet several hours ago." He shrugged unapologetically. "Seeing you here, it would appear that we were lied to. Unfortunate, but it does happen when you are a prince with a bounty on your head. Wouldn't you agree, Chancellor?"

The Chancellor's smile widened. "Is that so?" He seemed amused by Noctis' reply. Chancellor Izunia turned away from Noct for a moment before turning back. He snapped his fingers almost gleefully, "Then since you have been brought here on false pretenses, shall we have a change of scenery?"

Before Noctis could respond, the colorless world around them spun head over heel. Noctis stumbled as he tried to keep his balance as the ground disappeared, and then seemed to slip back into place. He shook his head as he tried to clear away the dizziness that threatened to make him hurl.

"A bit too much for you, Your Highness?" Chancellor Izunia asked in a bored tone. Noctis straightened and glared at the man. The Chancellor looked completely unfrazzled by the sudden change in scenery, even to the point of looking slightly bored.

Noctis turned away from the Chancellor and looked around him. From the far side of the Three Z`s Motel to a still colorless mountainous land covered by… was that snow? Noctis frowned; it was hard to say when everything was in tones of grey, white or black but he wasn't feeling cold.

"Enjoying the view? I must admit this is one of my favorite views within Niflheim's original territory." The wistful tone in the Chancellor's voice took Noctis by surprise; it seemed almost… sad?

Noctis stopped looking around and turned his attention to the Chancellor. Said Chancellor wasn't looking at him at all; rather he seemed to be gazing downwards into the valley. Noctis frowned; for a moment he could have sworn the person in front of him wasn't the Chancellor of Nilfheim, but rather Ardyn Lucis Caelum.

Maybe they were twins? Noctis tilted his head slightly as he considered the disturbing possibility. Such a thing would imply that the Chancellor of Niflheim could also access the Lucis Caelum's magic and the Royal Arms. It would make the man that much more dangerous. He was already using some kind of odd magic, probably the same kind that Ardyn had used during their last meeting though much more visible and obvious.

Noctis sighed; all of this was giving him a migraine. He much preferred being straightforward about things. "What do you want, Chancellor?" He dismissed his sword. He doubted it would be useful if the Chancellor actually wanted to harm him.

The Chancellor looked utterly amused by Noctis' question. He turned away from the view, crossed his arms and seemed to contemplate whether he should laugh at Noctis or not. "What I want?" Suddenly the muscles of his jaw seemed to clench together tightly. Noctis was almost hearing his teeth grinding together.

"What I want?" The Chancellor dropped his arms by his side, hands clenched tightly into fists that trembled. Noctis suddenly considered summoning his sword back just to have something in his hands in face of the sudden, almost overwhelming anger that faced him. "What I want, dear Chosen King, is for you to do what you're supposed to be doing!" Noctis flinched back as the Chancellor carefully but forcefully enunciated his reply to Noctis' question.

The Chancellor stepped closer. "What I want is for you to explain why you seem so willing to throw away the lives of your friends, your subjects and even your father for your own stubbornness! Why have you turned your back on seeking the Tidemother's, or any of the other Astral's blessing?" This time Noctis did step back.

The Chancellor stopped a bit in front of Noctis, glared at the prince as he waited for a reply. Noctis was stunned, of all the responses he had expected from the Chancellor, this had not been one at all. "Well? I answered your question, Your Highness. It is courtesy to answer mine," demanded Chancellor Izunia, crossing his arms.

Noctis quickly tried to come up with a reply that wouldn't get him killed. "I'm not?" He winced at the poor attempt to word his thoughts. "I mean, I'm not throwing anyone's life away. Or at least, I'm trying not to. That's why I'm not going to Altissia yet." He really wasn't sure that explaining his plans to the Chancellor of Niflheim was much of a great idea.

Scratch that - he knew it was a horrible idea but it seemed as though the man already knew a good part of it already. He certainly was aware of their decision to not awaken any of the remaining Astrals. Noctis hoped that by adding the _yet_ into his words, he could placate the Chancellor long enough to figure out how to get out of the situation.

"Go on." Chancellor Izunia said, unmoving from his position.

Noctis took it as a good sign. He needed to choose his next words carefully, "I may be the Chosen King, but that doesn't give me the right to leave my people to suffer under Niflheim's unjust rule. Daemons being unleashed on city streets at night while soldiers loot during the day; how can I stand by and do nothing?" He had to clench his own fists to stop himself from succumbing to the sudden desire to punch a certain someone in the face.

"If I could, I would go rescue my father in a heartbeat but I cannot! So I must do what I can and that is to save Lucis and its people." Noctis raised his head to stare straight at the Chancellor, trying and slightly failing to hide the fury he felt when he thought of the outrageous conditions his people had to suffer through. "I didn't ask to be the Chosen King of Light. Eos can wait until I'm done ensuring the safety of my people. That's what the Cure made possible and I'm not throwing that precious gift away. Not even for the Astrals!"

Chancellor Izunia gazed at Noctis thoughtfully. He seemed much less angry than before, a good thing - or so Noctis hoped. "You said you would go save your father if you could. What prevents you from doing so? I gave you the location and even allowed that foolish man to overhear the security details on more than one occasion."

Noctis felt his jaw drop. "What in Ifrit's name are you talking about?" he demanded.

The Chancellor pursed his lips. "Clarus Amicitia of course! I even went out of my way to drop him off where he would be found by his dear, darling son." He looked genuinely put off by Noctis' ignorance.

Noctis shook his head. "Lord Amicitia suffered a serious concussion and partial memory loss. He remembers only small parts and pieces of what happened between the time Insomnia fell into Niflheim's hands and his rescue by his son." The Chancellor clicked his tongue, looking disappointed.

"Such careful planning! All to waste over such a small thing as a concussion!" The Chancellor threw his hands in the air, his upper lip curling as he started pacing. "I really should have just carved it into him. I wanted to, but no! Ardyn just had to interfere and complain about the chances of infection if I did that." Noctis watched, stunned, as the Chancellor seemed to forget his presence.

"And now look where we are! A perfectly good plan thrown out because of how weak humans are." He grumbled. "Improvisation was never my strong point either, more like his…" The Chancellor turned and looked at Noctis. A wide smile suddenly gracing his face in a way that made Noctis recoil.

Noctis swallowed dryly and forced himself to ask, "What are you planning?" Could he warp down the mountain and somehow escape whatever illusion or technique the Chancellor was using? Doubtful, but at this point he was getting desperate.

Chancellor Izunia grinned. "Another change of scenery." Noctis barely had the time to brace himself before everything shifted again. The same nauseating loss of balance as before, made no different by Noctis' expectation of it, settled down to show Noctis metal halls that seemed eerily familiar.

Noctis tensed; the Chancellor was within arm's reach, leaning against the bars of a cell and staring expectantly at him. His stomach churned under the unrelenting gaze. Noctis had a small idea of where he was and what he might find if he did what the Chancellor was expecting of him.

He refrained from moving, keeping his own gaze fixed to the Chancellor's with as much strength and stubbornness as he could summon. The Chancellor remained unmoved, waiting; but two could play at that game and Noctis had no intention of giving the Chancellor anymore satisfaction.

He also knew that if he was right, if he turned around and looked at the cell right behind him and found who he thought he would, then Noctis wouldn't be able to contain his anger and worry. Without caring about what might happen, Noctis would, without a doubt, try to kill Chancellor Izunia. And if this wasn't some kind of illusion, then Noctis would be in the middle of a highly-classified Niflheim prison with no way to truly help anyone.

Noctis took a deep breath, shifted slightly to be more comfortable and settled to wait. He wasn't going to give the Chancellor any more ammunition to use against them. Noctis' intentions were clear as he gave in to the urge to cross his arms.

The Chancellor sighed dramatically. "And here I thought I was doing you a favor after your fervent declaration of filial piety." He straightened smiling and said, "Your father is right there behind you. I can even tell show you where this place is within Eos if you'd like." He lost his smile as Noctis stayed silent and apathetic to his words.

"I tell you your father is right there and you don't even flinch? I had no idea you were so cold, Your Highness," Chancellor Izunia said, eyes darting over Noctis in search of any reaction. Nothing. The Chancellor's eyes started turning red as he took a step closer to Noctis. "What are you trying to accomplish here, Noctis? To prove something? To whom?"

The Chancellor shook his head, tiny blue sparks flying through the air before fading into an otherwise-colorless world. "How pitiful you are. Chosen by the Crystal of the Lucii and for what?" The Chancellor leaned closer as he whispered into Noctis' ear. "Do you know what is expected of you? Do you know what it means to be chosen by the Astrals? I'm trying to help you, Noctis. Let me."

The Chancellor slowly lifted a hand up to Noctis' shoulder. He could see how tense the prince became as he moved. Noctis gritted his teeth together and shoved the Chancellor away, hard.

"I know what is expected of me," Noctis said through gritted teeth, fighting his fury and fear. "Now I would appreciate it if you would bring me back to my friends, Chancellor. I have things to do, and no time to waste listening to your delusions." Noctis swallowed the words; angry bitter words that wouldn't help the situation one bit.

Instead, he channeled the years of etiquette and diplomacy training and said, "If you do wish to help, then please empty Lucis of all Niflheim soldiers within the next week. I would be delighted to speak further once that is done." Noctis squared his shoulders, dropping his arms and tangling his hands together behind his back.

Noctis wasn't sure how the Chancellor would react. For all he knew, the man could decide to kill him right here and now. He certainly didn't expect the man to go still, eyes widening in surprise at Noctis' words.

"You know, and yet you..." Chancellor Izunia seemed lost for words, something Noctis was sure was a rare occurrence. Noctis shifted slightly as the Chancellor's gaze seemed to become more calculating than before. The world shifted around them once more. Noctis almost stumbled as he found himself standing in front of room 106 of the Three Z's Motel.

He was alone. The moment he realized this, the world burst to life. "Noctis, are you alright?" Ignis' voice made him jump up.

Ignis glanced between Noct and the open container in his hand, looking utterly confounded by the sudden appearance of a torn piece of chicken. Gladio stared at Noctis; and Prompto... "Prom!" Noctis shouted, scrambling over to the kneeling man.

Prompto was as pale as a ghost, his whole body trembling like a leaf. He looked two seconds from passing out. Noctis' exclamation had Ignis and Gladio also moving to help, concern about suddenly-open containers put aside in favor of more immediate problems.

Prompto weakly waved everyone's worry away, whispering, "I'm okay, I'm okay." No one believed him. There were plenty of things to discuss; and Noctis really needs to talk with them, but they do have a room full of Resistance people who should have been drawn by the noise.

Noct glanced at the half-open door, biting his lower lip as he made his decision. He turned to his boyfriends. "I know what's wrong with Prom, but it's not the right place to talk. Gladio and I are going to check out the room. Someone should have heard us and come to check by now."

Gladio glanced to the door and frowned, agreement and suspicion written plainly on his face. "I should go in don't know what happened and in such cramped space, it's too dangerous if it's a trap."

Noctis frowned and finally said, "Fine, but I'll be right behind you." He doubted that there would be anything dangerous in there but he didn't want to waste time arguing. Noctis left Prompto with Ignis and followed Gladio towards Room 106.

Gladio walked over to the door, carefully listening for any sounds coming from within. Nothing. The room was quiet, as though empty. It didn't bode well at all. Gladio glanced back at Noctis, motioning him to stay back as he pushed the half opened door wider and took a good look inside.

The room was immaculate, with no sign of anyone having been there recently. Gladio stepped inside the room, looking around carefully before letting Noctis step inside. Noctis glanced around the room, frowning at how utterly empty and normal it looked.

"I'll go help Ignis with Prom." Gladio said as he finished checking the bathroom and headed out. Noctis nodded, still looking around. He was feeling utterly confused by his conversation with the Chancellor. Had it really happened?

Noctis walked over to the closest of the large twin beds, and started to strip off the first layer of bedding for Prompto when he saw it. The piece of paper tucked out of sight under the pillow. Noctis grabbed it.

Was it a message from the people Dino had sent them to meet? Or was it from the Chancellor?

 _ **The offer has been made. What you most desire awaits you at the Tidemother's Mercy. I would not dawdle if I were you, for the tides wait for no man.**_

A/N:So this chapter is a bit iffy for me. I wrote the beginning then what turns into part of the ended, took a break, reread it then realized that I couldn't just make the conversation between Evil Chancellor and Noctis be less than a thousand words. I ends up being a lot longer than I expected and I'm not sure how I like the final product tbh but here it is. Reviews are always appreciated! Thank you for reading.


	55. Chapter 55

Noctis took a ragged breath as he read the message. "Noct? You alright?" Gladio's gruff voice brought him back to the moment. He looked up to see Gladio carrying Prompto on his back, Ignis following behind them while juggling the different containers.

"I… I'll explain later. Is Prom okay?" Noctis said as he finished throwing off the covers for Prompto.

Gladio carefully, ever so gently, placed Prompto down. Ignis placed the food on the nearest flat surface and headed over to join them even as he answered Noctis' words. "He passed out shortly after you and Gladio entered the room." Ignis reached out to press the back of his hand on Prompto's forehead. "He seems to have started a fever as well."

Noct reached for the covers and proceeded to tuck Prompto in; Gladio helping from the other side. They left Prompto as comfortable as possible in the bed before moving over to the far side of the room to talk. Ignis looks pointedly at Noctis. "I believe an explanation may be in order?" He seemed more worried than anything else.

Noctis dropped down on a chair, passing a hand over his face wearily as he considered where to start. Better off being straightforward. "Chancellor Izunia was expecting us. We had a _nice_ chat before he disappeared. It's probably why Prom's not doing well." Noctis glanced up and chuckled.

Gladio and Ignis were staring at him, horror written on their faces. Noctis was even more exhausted than he thought if he was laughing at their worry. "Sorry, sorry," he whispered, trying to rein himself under control before hysteria set in completely.

Ignis waved off his apology as he zeroed in on Noct, "The Chancellor was here? Did he injure you?" He glanced at Prompto. "If this is the same as when we encountered the man in Galdin Quay. It may take a while for Prompto to recover properly." Ignis hoped rest was all that Prompto would need. None of them could heal the way Lunafreya could, and she was supposed to be in Lestallum by now.

Gladio frowned. "How in Eos did we not notice the guy?" He folded his arms, shoulders lifting as he hunched inwards. Was his trip, his efforts, worth nothing?

Noctis reached out, laying a hand on Gladio and Ignis' arms as he smiled, grateful for their worry and care. It took a while to explain the whole encounter including his suspicion that Ardyn and Izunia were related. Gladio unwound himself from his worries and insecurities. He wrapped himself around Noctis instead. Noctis welcomed the physical touch especially when he had to recount the part about having to turn his back on his dad.

Ignis examined the note Noctis had found. _**The offer has been made. What you most desire awaits you at the Tidemother's Mercy. I would not dawdle if I were you, for the tides wait for no man.**_ A message with no clear sender or recipient and yet… It seemed unlikely that this was left by those they were to meet here. Which meant it was most likely from the Chancellor.

The meaning seemed rather clear in that case. King Regis would be sent to Altissia where he would be held somewhere at the mercy of the tides. Perhaps an underwater prison? Ignis looked at Noctis.

He looked exhausted, slumped into Gladio's embrace. His hands were shaking slightly, and he looked lost in thought. Ignis raised his gaze and met Gladio's own worried one. A wordless conversation, one of so many over countless shared moments, caused Ignis to smile and nod.

Ignis stood. "I will call the Marshall and Lord Amicitia to update them on the situation. It may take a bit, so could you try and reach Mr. Ghiranze and see what's going on?" He waited until Noctis nodded before leaning over to give both of them a kiss.

He stepped out of the room only after checking that Prompto was comfortable. The sun was starting to set over the ridge of the meteor canyon and was throwing orange and red across the horizon. Ignis did not like their current predicament at all.

The Chancellor of Niflheim's appearance in this area alone was cause of concern. To learn that the man could use magic; more so, that he knew a technique that allowed him to speak with someone without affecting the world around them? Ignis had worked hard on trying to figure out how such a thing could work after Noctis' frightening encounter with Ardyn Lucis Caelum. But even with the help of Crowe and Lunafreya, he had only the barest of ideas.

The phone rang in his hand. Ignis hoped they were not busy with something. "Ignis? What is it?" Cor's gruff voice was a welcome sound amidst Ignis' chaotic mind.

"Ah, my apologies if I am disrupting something Marshall, but I must report something that has occurred." Ignis said.

Ignis heard shuffling noises before Cor replied. "You're never bothering me Ignis. Even if you just called to say hi." Ignis could hear the teasing tone in the Marshall's voice, and felt his face heat up. "What happened? Are you all alright?"

"Prompto is slightly ill but should be feeling better soon. As for what happened…. Chancellor Izunia seems to be aware of our movements. He showed up to demand why Noctis was no longer seeking the Astrals' blessings," Ignis said in one breath. The silence that met him was enough proof of the shock the Marshall received.

Ignis heard a bit of static before the muffled voice of the Marshall calling for Lord Amicitia and his deputy filtered through. He waited patiently until the Marshall addressed him. "I'll have you explain the situation only once. You said Prompto is ill?"

Ignis nodded to himself, walking over to leaning beside the closed room door. "Do you recall our description of the incident at Galdin Quay? We believe this to be the case again. Something about the Chancellor makes him shut down temporarily." Ignis could almost hear Cor's worry exuding over the phone.

There were a few moments of silence before Cor spoke, "Take care of him. Please."

"Of course," came the easy reply. How could they not take care of their sun? Ignis smiled against his phone. Prompto always blushed at the nickname, or any endearment of it. Ignis hummed and changed the subject while they waited. "Any news from the others?"

Cor tutted, surprising Ignis with the unusual reaction. "Yes and no. Luna, Ravus and their escort arrived safely at Lestallum, but you already knew that." Ignis stayed silent, waiting for the Marshall to finish speaking. "They were to start the first round of healing today except that someone tried to assassinate her within the first 15 minutes."

Ignis straightened in shock. Someone had tried to kill Lunafreya? Cor continued. "The Glaives did their jobs and dealt with the situation before anyone got hurt. But we may need to scrap the whole healing tour if we don't figure out why it happened in the first place." He sounded upset; but whether it was with himself (quite possible considering the man's protectiveness) or about something else was hard to say.

Ignis didn't have the chance to ask anything more as Clarus and Monica's voices indicated their arrival. He recounted the events as Noctis had shared them, including the message found within the room after the unusual encounter. He even outlined the possible connection between Ardyn, a possible Lucis Caelum, and the Chancellor of Niflheim.

Other than the sound of someone punching a wall, when Ignis told them about Noctis' close encounter with the King, heavy silence reigned on the other end of the call. Ignis cleared his throat. "What are your suggestions for our next move?" A question with heavy implications and one that Ignis hadn't enjoyed asking.

After what seemed to be an even heavier silence, Monica spoke up. "First, we should consider whether the message can be trusted. Chancellor Izunia is not known for being trustworthy."

Cor agreed, "Right. His actions beg the question: why is he so determined to have Noctis go to Altissia?"

Ignis said, "I believe the Chancellor's interest might be in Leviathan rather than in Noctis himself. Do you recall the first time Prompto encountered Ardyn Lucis Caelum? The warning he delivered to us was about the Emperor going after the Astrals. It proved to be true when we sought both Titan's and Ramuh's Blessings."

"Then why not go after the Oracle herself if that's the case?" Clarus asked. "Unless… The assassination attempt this morning?"

Ignis drew a deep breath in. A distinct possibility that he hadn't considered. "Perhaps it was not an assassination attempt, rather an attempt to poison Lunafreya once again? As Niflheim did when they attacked Insomnia."

"I'll have Nyx check the weapon for poison and stock up on antidotes just in case." Cor said. "If we assume that this is a set up for whatever purpose Niflheim has for the Astrals, then we should act accordingly."

Clarus spoke up, "In other words, assume that Regis is going to be in Altissia and in danger?" He sounded furious. Ignis could understand why. If it was Noctis in that position, held somewhere in danger by a madman. Ignis would do anything, take any risk to ensure his safety.

"Exactly." Cor said plainly. "And we can't risk sending Noctis into a trap. So, we'll have to trick the Empire into making them think Noctis is going there when he won't be." Ignis winced but said nothing. Noctis wouldn't take this peacefully.

Monica hummed thoughtfully before she spoke, "We can have them go to Galahd by boat then. If they leave from Cape Caem, it would appear as though they are heading to Altissia for a while."

"Good idea Monica. We can send a small team into Altissia beforehand to investigate possible locations. Locations that match the message and where they might hold the King. Once Noctis is seen to be on his way to Altissia then, if the note is true, they will be moving him to the city if he isn't already there." Cor said.

Clarus didn't wait. "I'm going!" Ignis heard (what was probably) a fist slamming on a table.

Cor chuckled, "Like I would even consider not sending you. Weskham is already there as well; we can send him a message too and get him involved." Cor fell silent after that.

Monica sighed. "You might as well go too, Marshall. Dustin and I can handle the hunters and Crownsguards. We'll grab Sir Scientia and Sir Argentum if we need extra help." Ignis brought a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter. Monica had been working with the Marshall for quite some time and it showed.

Cor cleared his throat. "If you're certain about that." Ignis assumed Monica must have given the Marshall some kind of nonverbal sign of agreement, because after a few seconds he spoke again. "Then it's settled. Ignis?"

"Yes, Marshall?" Ignis said.

"I'll leave it to you to explain the plan to the others. We'll get the details down by ourselves for now and call you in the morning to let you know what role you will all play in it. It might take longer than that, depending on what Nyx has found out about the attempt on Luna. Any questions?"

"I would like to confirm my understanding of the plan so far," Ignis started. Cor made a noise of agreement, so he continued. "We will operate under the assumption that Niflheim is targeting the Astrals, and they require Noctis' presence in Altissia for their plan to work. As such you, Lord Amicitia and perhaps a few others will head to Altissia first to investigate the city. During that time, Noctis is to pretend their threat is working. We will make our way back to Cape Caem and get on His Majesty's old boat, and our destination will not be Altissia but Galahd. On top of that, Nyx and the Glaives will investigate the attempt on Lunafreya's life to see if it might have been an attempt by Niflheim to poison her as a means to control her."

Clarus sighed. "That sums it up concisely. We'll let you know how long to take to get to the coast, and anything else that you might need to know once we figure it out ourselves."

Ignis nodded, "Yes Sir. Should I ask Gladio to call you later?"

"I'd appreciate that, Ignis." Clarus replied. Cor checked with Ignis about their supplies before bidding him goodnight.

Ignis closed his phone with a relieved sigh. At least they had a semblance of a plan now. He smiled wryly; the only thing left was to tell Noctis and the others - and convince them to follow the plan.

The sun had completely set by now. The night sky filled with stars, partially eclipsed by the lights of the small rest stop. Ignis tilted his head backwards and looked up. How strange it was that the sky would seem so beautiful even under such harrowing circumstances.

He took a few seconds to compose himself before going inside. As beautiful as the stars were, his place wasn't among them. It was with those he held beloved, by their side for as long as they wanted him there.


	56. Chapter 56

Gladio watched as Ignis slipped out of the room to call the Marshall. Noctis was a warm weight against him, his eyes fluttering closed in obvious exhaustion. "Come on, Noct, why don't you go take a nap while we wait for Specs to be done?" Noctis buried his head against Gladio's side and shook it in a silent denial.

Gladio coaxed him gently, "You're exhausted. I'll call that reporter and figure out what's going on so go ahead and join Prompto for a bit." He leaned forward to press a kiss on Noct's forehead with a smile. "It's going to be fine. You did so good dealing with the Chancellor by yourself." He kept pressing soft kisses unto every part he could reach until Noctis finally gave in and agreed.

"Ugg, you're so annoying!" Noctis said with a smile. Glaio chuckled, swooped down and lifted Noctis into his arms. "Gladio!" Noctis shrieked at the sudden movement, only to slap a hand over his mouth and glancing over to Prompto. He relaxed when he saw that Prompto was still asleep, undisturbed by the noise.

Gladio smiled as he brought Noctis over to Prompto, carefully lowering him into the plush bed. Gladio knelt beside the bed and started taking Noctis' boots off tenderly. Noctis stared, first in shock then with a sense of overwhelming love, as Gladio helped him get ready to rest. Noctis reached out and carded his fingers through Gladio's hair tenderly, scratching lightly at his scalp and chuckling as Gladio leaned into it approvingly.

Gladio made sure Noct was comfortably tucked into bed beside Prompto before he walked a short distance away to make the call. He poked the numbers into his phone determinedly and waited as it rang. It was picked up by the third ring. "Hello?"

Gladio tamped down on the sudden surge of anger that rose when Dino Ghiranze answered. "Ghiranze, mind explaining why we're at the location you gave us and no one is here?" He growled.

The reporter gave an awkward laugh. "Well funny thing, that… Apparently they got into a bit of trouble and are stuck at a haven for the night." Gladio took a deep breath at the news, anger and irritation fighting against worry. Dino seemed to hear him do so and hurried to speak. "They promised they'd hurry to get there first thing in the morning! Promise!"

Gladio passed a hand wearily over his face. Should he let the reporter know about the Chancellor's presence? No. Something like that wouldn't be of any use to him and might just make the Resistance people decide not to meet up with them. "Fine, but we're leaving if they don't show up by mid-afternoon. Understood?" Dino quickly agreed and Gladio hung up, unwilling to continue talking with the reporter.

He walked back to the bed, feeling some of his worries fade away at the sight of Noctis and Prompto tangled together. They were both peacefully sleeping. Gladio reached out, carding his fingers through their hair, happy to notice that Prompto seemed to be in less pain than before.

Gladio resettled the covers over them before he went to check on Ignis. The advisor was visible through the small window, leaning by the door as he talked into his phone. Gladio nodded to himself after doing a quick check of the area. Ignis was close by and he would be able to shout for help if anything happened.

He turned back to the small room and considered what to do while he waited. There was no way to tell how long the discussions between Ignis and Cor would last. After a few moments, Gladio moved a chair so he could easily see Ignis through the window and starting going through their weapons.

It had been a while since he had checked them for nicks or breaks and this was the perfect opportunity for it. He started with Noctis' weapons, shaking his head at the amount of wear-and-tear present on them. Once he was done with those he did Ignis', smiling as he noticed that they had already been checked and meticulously maintained.

There were still a few things he could do, such as sharpening the edges to perfection, and he set off to do just that. Gladio checked on his boyfriends often, not wanting them to be uncomfortable or in need of anything. Ignis was still talking to the Marshall, and Gladio hoped it wouldn't take too much longer as night fell. He checked his own weapons quickly, knowing exactly what needed to be done on each before bringing out Prompto's guns.

Gladio stared at the weapons with an annoyed frown. He had never been able to get the hang of guns. He wasn't horrible with them; years of training with Prompto and Cor had seen to that, but he was more useful barehanded. He set about checking the safety of each gun before reaching back into Prompto's area of the Armiger to grab the cleaning kit.

He knew the theory for cleaning guns though he rarely did so. Gladio opened the cleaning kit and blinked. A small booklet with his name scrawled on top was taped to the top cover. Gladio felt his lips twitch into a fond smile as he recognized Prompto's writing.

 _Hey Gladdy, I figured I'd write this for the next time you decide to check over our weapons without asking for help. :) Anyways, I wrote down the basic steps for cleaning and checking each gun for you so you don't have to worry about doing something wrong. Iggy helped me with it too so it should be readable._

 _Thanks for helping out Big Guy!_

Gladio wiped a tear from his eye. Prompto was such a sweetheart, kind hearted and patient. Gladio looked through the small booklet, eyes widening as he took in the detail and precision of the instructions as well as the hand-drawn designs for each part of every gun. Following each instruction carefully, Gladio started to take care of the guns.

Ignis walked in as Gladio finished putting the first gun back together. Gladio glanced up, "Everything okay, Ignis?" Ignis nodded wordlessly, making a beeline towards the bed. Gladio finished what he was doing before rising to stand by his side.

"They look so peaceful." Ignis whispered. Gladio nodded. Ignis sighed, "Any news from ?"

Gladio huffed in reply. "Ya, called him and he said the people we were supposed to meet weren't able to make it on time. They're supposed to be here by lunch at the latest." Ignis nodded wordlessly.

Gladio watched Ignis carefully. He looked tired and worried. Gladio slowly brought his arms up, leaving plenty of time for Ignis to tell him if he didn't want to be touched, and wrapped him into a hug. Ignis seemed to melt into his embrace.

Gladio whispered, "Want to talk about it?"

Ignis sighed. "Once everyone is awake." He turned to look at Gladio, "Your father wanted you to call him. Nothing to worry about, but he will be leaving with the Marshall soon." Gladio nodded against his shoulder, gave him a kiss on the cheek and squeezed him once before letting go.

Gladio headed back to his chair, making quick work of cleaning up before calling his dad. He wasn't surprised when it was answered after the first ring. "Hey Dad, how are you and Iris?"

Clarus chuckled warmly. "Hello Gladiolus, I'm doing alright. Iris is off with Dustin at the moment but she was fine and enjoying herself as well." He paused for a moment before asking, "Are you alright?"

Gladio turned around to watch Ignis with his boyfriends. "Frustrated. Did you hear what happened?" When Clarus made an affirmative noise, Gladio continued, "The Chancellor was right there! Could have hurt Noctis or Prompto or Ignis and I wouldn't have been able to do anything to stop him! What if he shows up again? What do I do?"

Clarus listened as Gladio spoke. He didn't reply straight away, taking his time to think through how to answer before he did. "Gladiolus, my son; there are things you cannot predict or prevent no matter how trained you are. Magic of such a scale and complexity is one of them." He paused for a moment. "That being said, Sylva will have my head if I didn't remind you that you aren't alone. Talk with your boyfriends, try and see if you can figure something out to deal with this danger."

Gladio gave a great sigh of relief; his dad was the best. Gladio slumped into the chair. "Thanks Dad. I think I needed to hear that." Gladio glanced back up and noticed that Noctis and Prompto were awake. "Sorry Dad, looks like Noct and Prom are up. I'll call you later?"

Clarus chuckled, "Sure thing Gladiolus. Take care of yourself and do try to listen to Ignis once in a while." Gladio groaned even as Clarus burst out laughing before hanging up. His dad was awesome except when he said stupid stuff like that.

Ignis smiled,savoring the lingering warmth from Gladio's hug. Movement from the bed drew his attention; Noctis was waking up. Ignis reached out and drew his fingers lightly over his cheek. "Hello my prince, were you able to rest?"

Noctis captured the wandering fingers in his hand and brought them to his mouth, bestowing sleepy kisses onto them with utmost care. "I did. How was your talk with Cor?"

Ignis chuckled. "It was informative. Let us wake Prompto and eat before we talk more." Ignis waited for Noctis to release his imprisoned fingers before reaching over to gently touch Prompto's shoulder. "Darling, can you wake up for me?"

Prompto whined and turned away from Ignis' touch. Noctis and Ignis shared an amused glance at his reaction before Noctis reached out to poke Prompto's cheek. "Wakey-wakey Prom!" sang the prince.

"...No." Came the sleepy response as Prompto batted Noctis' hand away and burrowed deeper into the covers. Noctis grinned, grabbed the edge of the cover and yanked it off with a laugh. There was a shriek of protest followed by Noctis and Ignis being dragged down by a grumpy but awake Prompto.

Ignis laughed as he returned Prompto's hug. "How are you feeling, Love?"

Prompto seemed to think about it before he answered. "Okay, I guess? I'm starving and I feel really sore but otherwise..." He shrugged, "What happened?" He let Noctis and Ignis go, glancing between them with worry as he sat gingerly up in bed.

Noctis hovered by his side as he replied, "Chancellor Izunia was waiting for us."

Prompto froze in place for a moment. "Well, that explains it." He looked at Noctis and asked seriously, "Are you alright? Did anyone get hurt?" Noctis and Ignis shared a smile over Prompto's shoulder. He had been the one to pass out and yet he was the one worried about others.

Ignis smiled softly, "We are all fine, Love. Why don't you go grab a shower and I'll reheat the food so we may eat?" Prompto nodded and got out of bed, looking around the room and spotting Gladio on the phone.

Noctis grinned and followed Prompto out of bed. "I'll go with him!" He said. "You know, just in case he needs help." He nudged Prompto gently as he spoke, his grin getting wider as Prompto blushed.

Ignis shook his head, his eyes wrinkling at the corners. "If Prompto wishes for it but do try not to exhaust him?" Noctis glanced at Prompto, waiting for him to nod before he tugged him towards the small bathroom.

Ignis watched them leave hand in hand before turning to Gladio, who was approaching from behind. "Did you have a good talk with your father?" Gladio nodded. Ignis smiled, reached up and kissed him gently. "I'm glad. Could you help me set things up for supper?"

Gladio smiled, returned the kiss with equal gentleness and said, "Of course, Specs. What do you need me to do?"

They worked together to get the supper reheated and the table set while the shower ran. When Noctis and Prompto emerged, pink skinned and looking utterly relaxed, it was all ready for them to eat. Ignis greeted them with a kiss, escorting each to a chair with a smile even as Gladio served the plates.

"There is much to discuss, but it would be best to do so on a full stomach." Ignis said softly. Noctis frowned, not liking the implication but nodding nonetheless. Whatever Ignis had learnt from his talk with Cor could wait for a bit longer.

A/N:It was my birthday this week! I also decided to update the summary since the old one was from when this fic was going to be about 20 chapters. Please let me know how you like the new summary!


	57. Chapter 57

A/N: Sorry everyone, I just realised I never posted last weeks chapter so you get a double chapter this week.

Ignis cleaned up the dining table as Gladio prepared some tea. "So what did Cor have to say?" Noctis finally asked. Prompto perked up at that, straightening in his chair and swiveling to look at Ignis.

Ignis hesitated for a brief moment before he answered, "About the Chancellor's sudden visit?" Noctis nodded. "The Marshall believes we should take the threat to His Majesty's life seriously." Noctis smiled, reaching out to grasp Prompto's hand tightly as he leaned towards Ignis.

Ignis sighed; better to get this over with quickly. He walked back to the table, stood in front of Noctis and said, "But we are not to go to Altissia."

"What!" Noctis stood up, his chair crashing to the floor. "What do you mean we can't go to Altissia? They're going to kill Dad if I don't!" He stares in disbelief at Ignis, barely reacting when Prompto got up to stand beside him.

Ignis winced at Noctis' outburst but he had been expecting it. "The Marshall, Lord Amiticia and a few others will be going to Altissia within a few days to try and locate him." Noctis deflated, allowing Gladio and Prompto to guide him back unto his chair. Ignis glanced over to Prompto, knowing that he was no doubt confused, and quickly outlined what had happened with the Chancellor.

Gladio rubbed soothing circles on Noctis' back, pushing the cup of tea closer with his other hand. "I doubt that's all there is to it. So what's the rest of the plan, Specs?" He motioned for Prompto to also sit down and drink.

Ignis sat across from Noctis, grateful for Gladio's steadfast calmness in the face of such news. "The details haven't been settled yet; they will be calling us in the next few days to finalize everything. But in essence, we are to pretend to follow the Chancellor's directions." His eyes darted up from his own tea to rest on Noctis.

Prompto tapped the side of his cup with a finger. "So we are heading to Altissia after all?" He looked between Noctis and Ignis. "Because that's what it sounds like."

Ignis shook his head, "No, we shall merely pretend to be going there. Our real destination will be Galahd. We will be taking our time to travel back to Cape Caem, where we will take His Majesty's boat towards Altissia but we will simply be passing by it as we travel around the coast until we reach the islands." He could see Noctis' increasing frustration and prepared himself for the long argument that would follow.

So he was pleasantly surprised and more than a little suspicious when Noctis didn't argue at all. "Okay. When do we leave?" he said instead, keeping his eyes on the tea in his hands.

Ignis glanced over to Gladio, slightly relieved when he saw that Gladio was also suspicious about Noctis' behavior. "We will have to wait until the Marshall calls us back before we know when we should move." He paused for a moment and then pushed on, "There is something more. Lunafreya was attacked this mor.."

"What?" "Is she okay?" Prompto and Noctis' exclamations interrupted Ignis, as he had expected them to.

"The glaives did their duty." Ignis said reassuringly, "She was unharmed and the perpetrator was caught but it prevented her from starting her healing as planned." His mouth felt dry, and Ignis took a sip of his tea. He smiled as the taste of calming chamomile bloomed through his mouth. Gladio certainly knew how to make a delicious cup of tea.

Prompto sighed in relief, "That's great." He dropped back to his chair, reaching out to tug Noctis down beside him as well. "Can we call her later?"

Ignis thought about it for a moment before nodding. "That shouldn't be a problem. I'm sure that she would be appreciative of such a call." Prompto smiled cheerfully, already taking his phone out in preparation to call as soon as he could.

Noctis reluctantly sat back down. He stayed quiet for a bit, thinking as he took small sips of the tea. He didn't like the plan at all. His dad was being threatened and he was expected to just not do anything?

Sure, Cor and Clarus would be going to Altissia but… Chancellor Izunia was beyond creepy, knowing so much about their movements and what they had planned. He didn't think this one was going to stand up to the man's scheming.

He knew Ignis and Gladio were already suspicious that he hadn't argued more than he had about the plan. Noctis also knew he couldn't agree with a plan that relied so heavily on maybes. Ignis spoke up again, forcing Noctis out of his thoughts to pay attention.

"The Marshall believes that Niflheim's interest in our movements is not due to you in particular." Ignis said as he looked at Noctis. "Rather, it is due to their current attitude towards the Astrals. They killed Shiva years ago and now have the Crystal that is believed to hold a link to Bahamut. They tried to kill Titan before you made a covenant with him, and were clearly searching for Ramuh as well."

Gladio groaned, "So basically, they want Noctis in Altissia because it means Leviathan is probably going to show up? And I'm guessing the attack on Luna had something to do with that too."

Ignis nodded slowly. "Possibly. The Marshall was going to call Nyx and ask him to investigate whether the blade was poisoned. For now, we should concentrate on contacting the Resistance as we planned and wait for further information." He looked around the table to his friends but kept returning to cast worried looks at Noctis.

Ignis hesitated but in the end, they needed to address any worries or issues as soon as possible before anything untoward happened. "Noctis, I am well aware that this cannot be comfortable for you to hear, but we cannot risk both your life and that of His Majesty. Please try to understand the risks we must take into account." Noctis refused to meet Ignis' gaze.

Prompto looked from Ignis to Noctis several times. He saw how tense Noctis was and how worried Ignis seemed. He knew that Noctis must be absolutely beside himself with worry about his dad but - Prompto reached under the table to trace the embroidered outline of the Crownsguard emblem sewn on his waist - Ignis was right.

It was much too risky to have Noctis walk right into a trap when there were safer options. He turned toward Noct. "Iggy is right. It's way too dangerous to go there when we don't even know if your dad is there in the first place." He winced when Noctis twisted to stare at with utter disbelief in his eyes. "I get it Noct. I really do."

"You want your dad to be safe, and to be sure he is safe. But -" Prompto paused, "- Uncle Cor and Clarus are going to save him. It doesn't have to be you." Prompto stopped again, shook his head then whispered, "It shouldn't have to be you." He kept his gaze on Noctis, ready to accept his anger if he wanted.

Instead he saw Noctis' shoulders slump down as the tension disappeared. Tears appeared in the corners of his eyes and his breath quickened into sobs. None of them hesitated as they moved to comfort Noctis.

Gladio got up and asked if Noctis was okay to be touched, only to have him throw himself into his arms. Gladio wrapped Noctis into his embrace gently, rubbing circles against his back as he whispered reassurances.

Ignis and Prompto saw that Gladio had Noctis in hand and moved to help out in other ways without overwhelming Noctis. Ignis headed towards their bags, knowing exactly what to grab to help Noctis feel better. Prompto headed straight for the bathroom, smiling as he saw the small but adequate bath just waiting to be used.

It didn't take long for them to have Noctis settled into a warm bubble bath while Gladio, Ignis and Prompto sat around to keep him company. Prompto grinned mischievously when he slipped his feet into the warm water, laughing when Noctis splashed him in retaliation for cold feet being pressed against him.

It was only after Noctis was dressed in his favorite pyjamas, all warm and relaxed that Ignis felt comfortable broaching the subject once again. "Noctis? How are you feeling?"

It took a moment for Noctis to respond. He was feeling a bit fragile and embarrassed by his breakdown even though he knew it was fine for him to cry when he needed. Noctis brought his knees closer to his chest. "I'm okay Ignis, sorry about earlier." He sighed, closing his eyes tightly to keep himself from crying again. "I just… Dad is probably hurt and in trouble because of me and I can't do anything to help him. And I hate that."

Prompto reached out to lay a hand on Noctis back gently and Noct leaned into the touch. "It's okay to cry Noct." Noctis nodded but didn't say anything else. He was feeling overwhelmed.

Gladio carefully sat beside Noctis, "Let's try and focus on the stuff we can help with." He glanced up to Ignis for a moment as he spoke. "We'll stay here for tonight and leave tomorrow if the Resistance people don't show up by lunch-ish. After that, where would you like to go?" He directed the question to Noctis.

Noctis shrugged but when Gladio didn't move or speak, he sighed and thought about it. He was worried about his dad, like very, very, very worried about him but since he couldn't go save him then… "Can we go check on Luna?"

Gladio shared a smile with Ignis, who smiled in return and nodded. Gladio turned back to Noctis, reaching out to smooth a hand through Noct's hair. "Sounds like a plan then." He then glanced up to Prompto and added, "I'm sure we can even stop at Wiz's for a bit if that's agreeable."

Prompto squeaked in excitement, practically jumping to hug Gladio. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Please!"

The sight drew an unexpected laugh from Noctis, something that is welcomed by all. Noctis ended up pressed between Prompto and Gladio as they talked about doing some racing at the Chocobo Post. Ignis relaxed in the bath, soft humming heard through the thin walls. Exhausted by day, Noctis slips under, thankful for their presence.

 _He is in a hall of metal and steel. He is cold and scared. The harsh sounds of heavy boot steps resound throughout the hall as patrols pass by. The patrols were still out of sight but they were steadily approaching._

 _He shifted on the uncomfortable cot and winced. His injuries were not healing properly without his magic. It's been days since he has last talked with anyone. Days since_ _ **His**_ _visit and the threats spoken towards his family._

 _He can only hope that they will not fall for it. He can only hope that his friends will be able to support them properly and that they will be able to focus on what needed to be done._

 _He is old and lucky to still be alive._

 _And while he would have loved to see his family grow together, he is well aware that all that has happened until now has been a miracle in its own right. A miracle brought about by a young child and some very stubborn people he is pleased to call friends._

 _He knew She had escaped the city with his Ring but he knew nothing of what had happened after. He could only hope She had found her way to her son safely._

 _He sighed. He missed the company of his beloved though he is glad to hear he has found his freedom, if_ _ **His**_ _words are to be trusted at all. He leaned his head against the cold, almost painfully so, wall and listened to the….silence?_

 _When had the sound of boots stomping around stopped? He straightened and debated getting up but a look down at his leg showed clearly showed him he was in no state to walk around._

" _You look like hell, Reggie." The voice is suddenly there, in front of him. He lifted his head. Shock. Disbelief. Hope. "Let's get you out of here."_


	58. Chapter 58

Noctis woke up, mind confused by the dream – _A message? Or memories?_ \- he had just experienced. Had it just been a dream? Noctis untangled his arm from Gladio's and looked at Carbuncle's mark. It was inert and unchanged since his last talk with the small fox-like astral.

He dropped his arm back down with a sigh; he was worried about Carbuncle. He hadn't seen the little astral for a while now, not even as a fleeting figure among his more pleasant dreams. That was very unusual. Noctis sighed again, turning to look at his boyfriends.

The only one missing was Ignis; probably already up and doing whatever it was he did during his mornings. Noctis debated staying in bed, warm and comfortable between the sleeping Prompto and Gladio but in the end, his mind was being annoyingly loud.

He got up, careful not to wake them up, and slipped into the bathroom. Noctis was fairly certain Ignis would be in the small kitchenette and he didn't want company just yet. He sat on the edge of the bath and absentmindedly checked his phone. **6 messages from Unknown.**

Noctis stared at the notification. What the hell? He hesitated for a moment before using one of Prompto's apps to open the messages. The app scanned them for several seconds before a cheery yellow chocobo popped up to indicate they were safe to read.

 **Unknown: Hello Noctis, it's Lunafreya. Nyx bought me a burner phone to use for a while.**

 **Unknown: Prompto called earlier and told me what had happened. How horrible of the Chancellor to do such a thing!**

 **Unknown: It was a very mean and horrible thing to do. I do wish I could hug you (if you wanted me to) and offer you more help but things here have been rather crazy since this morning.**

 **Unknown: I believe you have heard of the attempt on my life. I wish to reassure you that I am fine and well. (Perhaps if I keep saying it Nyx and Ravus will finally believe me XD)**

 **Unknown: As for the matter concerning your father, I was thinking that perhaps your attempts to reach the Resistance might be of use in that matter. After all, if they are as prolific as Aranea says they are, they may well have information on his whereabouts.**

 **Unknown: Not to mention that Gladio's father and Cor are both as desperate to save him as you are. Please do not lose hope for there is much of it left. I will leave you to your rest. Good night Noctis, I pray you will have peaceful dreams.**

Noctis sniggered at the unintended irony of Luna's last message. His dreams had been anything but peaceful. He considered answering but years of drilled PR and security lessons had him striding out of the bathroom in search of Ignis.

As expected, Noctis found him drinking coffee at the kitchen table. He paused at the door, enjoying the sight of his boyfriend relaxing, before interrupting the moment. "Morning Specs. You look nice and relaxed." He smiled as Ignis turned, eyes widened as he saw Noct standing there.

"Noct!" Ignis stood up, "You are up early. Is everything alright?"

Noctis nodded, moving to kiss Ignis softly before swiping the coffee cup and taking a sip. He grimaced at the taste. "Ugg. What did you put in there?"

Ignis sighed as he took his cup back. "There was only powdered milk available. I had to make do." He put the cup back on the table and cupped Noctis' face gently. "You haven't answered my question, are you well?"

Noctis leaned into the touch, his phone-free hand covering Ignis'. "I had an odd… dream maybe? I don't know; it might have been a message from Carbuncle too but it was weird and just off somehow." Noctis remembered the messages on his phone and quickly showed it to Ignis. "Right! Did Prompto call Luna last night?"

Ignis took Noctis' phone and looked through the messages. A small smile appeared as he saw the chocobo mascot used by the app. "Prompto did indeed call Luna after you fell asleep." Ignis took out his own phone and compared the numbers displayed. "I'm grateful that some of your lessons have stuck." he teased as he returned the phone to Noct. " You may answer her if you'd like."

Noctis smiled wryly as he took his phone and elbowed Ignis in retaliation. "Thanks Specs but shouldn't you have more faith in your own abilities? You're the one who spent so much time teaching me after all." He got on his toes and kissed Ignis softly before taking a seat at the table to write Luna a text.

 **Noctis: Hey Luna! I'm glad to hear you're doing okay (tell Ray-ray and Nyx to knock it off if they get too protective. Or better yet just kick their asses again ;D ) Thanks for the pep talk, I kinda needed it.**

 **Noctis: Btw can you check something for me as the Oracle? I had a really weird dream/ maybe message from Carbuncle but it felt off. I haven't heard or seen him in a while too so… Can you check with your powers to see if Carbuncle's doing okay? Thanks.**

 **Noctis: As for dad… I know that Uncle Clarus and Cor both want to save him too but I just feel like it's my fault. (Yes I know its not :( still feels like it though) I could use one of your hugs when we see each other. I'll ask the Resistance about Dad when we meet them so thanks for that idea too.**

 **Noctis: Take care of yourself and I hope you get to do your healing today without any issues. Love you 3**

Noctis finished sending the last message just as Ignis put a plate of pancakes in front of him. Ignis took the seat beside him. "All set with Lunafreya?"

Noctis nodded as he poured maple syrup over them. "I think so. We'll see when she replies." He took a bite of the fluffy goodness. "What do you think about her suggestion? About asking the Resistance for info on dad I mean?"

Ignis watched Noctis eat as he finished his coffee, "I believe it has merit but I do not think we will be able to ask such a thing without building up a certain level of trust with them first." Noctis sighed; he had been afraid of that. Ignis continued, "But we may be able to gather information on any prisoners that might have been taken from Insomnia without arousing suspicion."

Noctis beamed. "That would be perfect!"

Ignis waited patiently as Noctis finished his breakfast. As he took the plate to be cleaned, Ignis asked lightly, "You mentioned you had an odd dream earlier?"

Noctis sighed, folding his arms on the table. "Ya, it was really weird. Weird enough that I don't know if it was Carbuncle's Blessing or just one weird-ass dream." He told Ignis about it and waited to see what his advisor thought of the matter.

Ignis frowned as he washed the plate. "Have you tried contacting Carbuncle yourself?"

Noctis shook his head, "No, but I've always been able to know before. I mean, I was always able to know when I was dreaming but this…. This felt different somehow and it's really bugging me." He passed a hand over his face. Noctis dropped his head into his arms with a groan. It was really bothering him.

Ignis put aside the plate to dry and moved to sit beside Noct. "Perhaps it might be helpful if you tried to define why it was different?" he offered, withholding any comment on the content of the dream for the moment.

Noctis turned his head to look at Ignis, a pout on his lips. "If I could, it wouldn't be so annoying, Iggy." Noise from the bedroom told them that Gladio and Prompto had woken up and the conversation stopped as they entered the kitchen.

"Morning Princess, Specs." Gladio said as he bent down to give them each a kiss. He ruffled Noct's hair and asked, "Everything alright?"

Noctis sighed, "Just a weird dream that might not be a dream?" Noctis leaned back and smiled into the kiss Prompto gave him. "You two going out to run?"

Prompto frowned worryingly at Noct's comment. "Ya, but do you need us to stay here?" He asked softly.

Noctis shook his head, "No, I'm good just annoyed at stuff. You two have fun, okay?" Prompto seemed to relax a bit at the response.

Gladio huffed, "You could always join us." He grinned expectantly as he filled his and Prompto's water bottles in the sink.

Noctis laughed at the suggestion. "No way! I'm going to stay in here where it's nice and comfy with Iggy. You two go ahead and get all sweaty if you want." Ignis chuckled beside him at the expected reply from Noctis.

Gladio shrugged as he tossed Prompto his water bottle. The two left for their morning run after stealing a few more kisses 'for the road' as Prompto put it. Ignis and Noctis watched them leave with fond smiles. It was nice to have a shred of routine left from Insomnia, even one as simple as the morning runs that Prompto and Gladio loved.

Ignis waited until the door closed behind them before asking, "Do you wish to keep talking about your dream?" Noctis sighed and considered the questions. It was still bothering him, especially since it was about his dad. If what he had seen,- _or was the better word experienced?-_ was true then someone had gone to help his dad and it had been someone his dad knew.

"In the end, there's really nothing I can do for Dad." Noctis said sadly as he leaned against Ignis. Ignis wrapped his arms around him and waited patiently. "If Carbuncle did let me see what was going on with Dad then it means he's probably safe since he knew whoever was there. If it was just a dream then nothing has changed and we still have to wait and see what's going on with Cor and Uncle Clarus." Noct sighed as he buried his head in the crook of Ignis' neck.

Ignis smiled proudly as he listened to Noctis talk. "I'm proud of you." he said as he pressed a kiss to the side of his forehead. "The men from the Resistance should be arriving within the next few hours and we should also be receiving news from the Marshall soon. You'll feel a bit better once we have more information on the situation." Noctis nodded against his neck.

Ignis drafted Noctis into helping him cook breakfast as they waited for their boyfriends to come back. They made more pancake mix, some bacon and Noctis even cut some fruits to add to the pancakes once they were done. Ignis was contemplating making some eggs when the sound of Gladio's voice was heard from outside. He frowned; the person answering was not Prompto.

Noctis shot Ignis a look, putting aside the knife and moving toward the door. They were both tense and ready in case of trouble as Gladio walked in, three unremarkable people following after him with Prompto closing the door once they were through.

"This is Lieutenant Veras Aemulus of the Resistance. Our requested liaison with the Resistance." Introduced Gladio with a carefully blank expression.

Noctis took a brief moment to look over the Lieutenant, a woman who could be Prompto's mother in coloring except for her eyes. Those were a deep forest green that meet his own with confidence and determination. She put her closed fist over the center of her chest and gave a bow, "A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I apologize for our tardiness but shall we start our discussion?"

Noctis cast a glance towards Ignis before waving them towards the kitchen. He was glad they had made so much pancake mix though they might need more bacon… And possibly eggs.

A/N: Reviews are used as motivation fuel!


	59. Chapter 59

Ignis swept into the kitchen with single-minded determination as Noctis played the graceful host with their guests. Prompto and Gladio had been politely-but-firmly told to shower before joining them at the table, which gave Noct plenty of time to get a proper introduction to the small Resistance group.

Lieutenant Veras Aemulus was a military base inspector with Niflheim's army, a perfect job that allowed her to move freely anywhere she wanted at any time for her inspections. Her two companions were introduced merely as Praer and Custo, guards sent by the Resistance to ensure her safety. Lieutenant Aemulus waited until breakfast was served before saying, "I was told Your Highness had a proposition for the Resistance."

Noctis nodded, "Yes. I would like to make use of the Resistance's information network and power to force Niflheim out of Lucis. Of course, in return the Resistance would be provided with more direct help in taking down Emperor Aldercapt." He leaned forward and waited.

Lieutenant Aemulus stayed silent for a few moments before speaking. "And what exactly are you expecting from the Resistance?" She copied his body language, pushing aside her plate.

"Distractions within Niflheim that would disrupt reinforcements and information gathering from Galahd, mainly." Noctis replied. "As well as any information the Resistance might have on the devices used by Niflheim to control the Crownsguard and Kingsglaive within Insomnia."

The Lieutenant hummed thoughtfully, glancing between her guards before finally nodding. "I believe that can be arranged, Your Highness." She was about to continue when Ignis cleared his throat.

Ignis stared at the Lieutenant with a glint in his eyes. "My apologies for interrupting you, Lieutenant, but there is a matter that requires clarification." The Lieutenant leaned back, meeting Ignis' gaze calmly and lifted an eyebrow in silent question. Ignis shifted slightly as he asked, "You seem to have a good grasp of manners, so why have you been referring to the current ruler of Lucis as 'His Highness' rather than his proper title?" Noctis straightened, he hadn't even noticed but Ignis was right. This was a strange mistake.

Lieutenant Aemulus tensed up on her chair as did her guards. "I was told you were aware of King Regis' survival." The quick answer stunned them all. Lieutenant Aemulus looked between them with a deepening frown. "Was that...incorrect? If so then please let me ass.." Noctis cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"We were recently told this, but we did not know that the Resistance was aware of it as well." Noctis explained, shoulders slumping down. Ignis shifted awkwardly, a light blush coloring his cheeks as he glanced away

Lieutenant Aemulus nodded, relaxing slightly. "That's good." She paused, then with a nod to herself, continued. "The Leaders were quite adamant on finding out what happened, and were very unhappy with the discovery. They have spent the last few weeks figuring out how the Resistance missed such an event and garnering evidence of what transpired within the walls of the Crown City."

Ignis gave a slight bow towards the Lieutenant. "My apologies for my rudeness, Lieutenant Aemulus." She waved it off with a shrug and turned back towards Noctis.

Noctis felt a bit better now that he didn't have to worry about being careful about mentioning his dad or his desire to find him. "Do you know where my father is being held?" he practically demanded instead. He wasn't the only one interested in what the answer might be. Gladio straightened. Prompto tensed up, fingers tapping relentlessly on his leg as Ignis shifted to sit up properly on his seat.

Lieutenant Aemulus' lips twitched into a brief smile before returning to their previous expression. "Not as of yet but the Leaders wish me to assure you that it is a priority. It shouldn't be long before they have a location." She inclined her head towards Noctis in a slight bow.

Noctis smiled back, returning the show of respect with one of his own. His mind was considering his dream in light of the new information. Had what he had experienced been another view of the future? It was a welcomed possibility.

Gladio spoke up. "That's good. We got told that King Regis might be on his way to Altissia if he isn't already." Lieutenant Aemulus' head turned sharply to look at him. Gladio grinned, "My priority is Prince Noctis but I'm not the only Amicitia alive. There are others looking for His Majesty while His Highness deals with the invasion."

"I have no doubt of it." Lieutenant Aemulus said carefully. "I will let the people involved know about this information." She frowned. "Do you have a secure way to communicate with others?"

Prompto smiled. They had discussed this very thing back with Uncle Cor until it had been decided Prompto would modify a pair of burner phones for that specific use. "Yup, we do. Here you go." He took one of those out and placed it on the table. "It's been modified for additional security so the Empire won't be able to tap, track or get access to it once I set it up for you." he explained cheerfully.

The Lieutenant listened carefully as Prompto detailed how to register herself with the installed messaging app. Ignis, Gladio and Noctis shared proud glances as their guests looked more and more impressed the further Prompto explained the functions installed and the various security measure put in place. Once it was all set up, Lieutenant Aemulus said, "That is incredible. Is there any chance I could convince you to return with me to the Resistance? You would be a huge help to our security team."

Prompto blushed at the compliment but shook his head firmly. "Nope. My place is here with Prince Noctis, but thanks for the offer." The Lieutenant nodded with a resigned smile on her face. It was obvious this had been the answer she had been expecting from him. Still Noctis couldn't help the warmth that flooded his body at Prompto's quick and decisive answer. He was going to have to find a proper way to thank him later.

They spoke for a bit longer, setting up the framework for an official agreement of help and what such help would entail in terms of soldiers, information, and other resources. Ignis took down the details agreed upon and promised to send the agreement for approval once it was done. With those last details settled, Lieutenant Aemulus bid her farewell and promised to contact them within 48h.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant." Noctis said at the door. "I look forward to hearing from you soon." They watched as the three Resistance members walked out of sight before returning back inside.

Ignis went straight for the dirty plates, intent on cleaning up as he said, "That went better than I was expecting." He shot Prompto a proud smile. "They seemed very impressed by your work Prompto. Well done."

Prompto smiled and stole a kiss from Ignis as he passed by. "Thanks but it was a team effort you know!" He grabbed a few of the plates from Ignis' arms and went to help him. It left Gladio and Noctis to contact Cor or Clarus to update them on the meeting.

Noctis did so while Gladio went to pack their bags in preparation for their departure. The conversation didn't last long before Noct hung up with a scowl. Ignis made a questioning sound when he saw his expression, and Prompto stopped drying the dishes to concentrate on Noct.

"Cor just got news from Nyx about yesterday's attack. They didn't find any poison on the blade but the guy turned into a daemon overnight. They had to kill it before it escaped." Noctis growled as he dropped unto a seat.

Gladio poked his head from the bedroom. "The guy turned into a daemon and no one noticed the signs?"

"That's what Cor said." Noct replied. Gladio threw the shirt he had been folding onto a bed and walked over to Noctis. "He also said good job with the Resistance and to let him or Clarus know if they give us anything on Dad. Otherwise we should send most of the information over to Dustin, Lance or Monica to figure out."

Ignis carefully scrubbed at a stubborn stain as he wondered out loud. "Could it have been the work of the Chancellor?" The tense reaction from the others told him they hadn't considered the possibility. Ignis elbowed Prompto gently to gain his attention before passing the clean plate over. "It would explain how this would-be assassin could be suddenly infected without anyone noticing. There exists the possibility that this person was previously infected and the Chancellor's… unique ability allowed it to be hidden even from Lunafreya."

Prompto groaned, "Dude, that's a terrifying thought." Gladio and Noctis both nodded their heads firmly. Ignis pressed an apologetic kiss on Prompto's hair as he dried his hands and joined Noctis and Gladio around the table. Prompto hurried to finished drying the plate and followed.

They sat quietly at the table, each lost in their thoughts but comforted by the others presence. Noctis needed to seriously consider what they should do next. Should they keep going as they had planned, heading towards Lestallum and Cape Caem? Or should they first deal with the problem of Chancellor Izunia's abnormal ability?

He was still worried about his dad. Noctis didn't like the idea of simply waiting for news but he understood the reasons behind it. He was more worried about the way Chancellor Izunia seemed to know their plans.

And then there were Luna, Ravus, Nyx and the rest of the glaives. Noctis trusted them to take care of each other, but rejoining them might give them a better idea of what to do. He sighed, who was he kidding. Noctis wanted to check on his friends and maybe get some advice on the situation from someone with more experience than him.

Noctis raised his head and looked around to the others. Prompto was fiddling with his phone with a look of intense concentration on his face. Noctis' lips twitched into a smile. He wondered what Prom was doing that needed such intense concentration. Ignis was still deep in thought but Gladio had left at some point; Noctis could hear him in the bedroom.

Noctis took a few seconds to admire his beautiful boyfriends before he spoke up. "I think we need to go talk with Luna and Ravus about the Chancellor." He grimaced. Noct knew a lot of people had talked with them about their time under the Empire.

Ravus still had nightmares and occasional bad days were the memories were too much for him to handle. Luna had her own trauma, less obvious as the Empire had treated her with better care, but still very much there. Noctis just hoped that he wouldn't be asking for too much when they met up.

Prompto looked up, eyes wide as he stared at Noctis. "What?" Ignis looked pensive as he waited for Noctis to explain his thought. The sound from the bedroom stopped and Gladio wandered back with a frown.

Noctis looked down at his hands. "We can't do anything about Dad. The Resistance needs time to figure out what they need from us and how to do what we've asked of them." He paused and took a deep breath. "The only thing we can do right now is check up on Luna and try to figure out what's going on with the Chancellor." Noctis peeked beneath his hair towards his companions.

Ignis was nodding slowly, a thoughtful expression still there on his face. Gladio looked surprisingly gleeful but it was Prompto's expression that drew Noctis' gaze. "Prom? You okay?"

The remark had Ignis and Gladio look over as well. Prompto shifted awkwardly at being the center of their attention. Ignis waited a breath but when Prompto didn't answer Noct, he leaned forward and asked softly. "Love?" Even Gladio looked worried by now.

Prompto didn't answer. Instead he took out his phone, poked at the screen quickly before putting it on the table for all to see. Noctis, Ignis and Gladio shared a confused glance before they crowded around the small screen. A red banner was scrolling on top, announcing breaking news.

The title was: **Emperor Ill, Chancellor Izunia Appointed Head of State.** Noctis swore vividly as he scanned through the first paragraph of the article. Emperor Aldercapt had been confined to his bed from an unspecified illness and Chancellor Izunia had been given full control over decisions until the Emperor recovered.

"That doesn't bode well." Ignis said; he had his own phone out and seemed to be checking other sites. "We suspected the Chancellor had control over most of the Empire's decisions before but he still had to give way to the Emperor over some matters. Now, he will be free to act as he wishes."

Gladio nodded and added, "I doubt the Emperor is actually sick." Gladio walked over to a still worried Prompto and drew him into a hug. "I'll let Dad know, just in case, but this doesn't change what we have to do." Gladio smiled gently at Prompto who leaned into the hug gratefully.

Ignis and Noctis nodded their agreement. Noctis handed the phone back to Prompto with a smile before Gladio dragged him to the bedroom to finish packing. Noctis and Ignis shared a fond chuckle as they heard a moan from said room.

Noctis shifted his chair closer to Ignis and dropped his chin unto his shoulder. "Am I doing the right thing?" Noctis muttered as he tried to follow what Ignis was checking on his phone.

Ignis hummed thoughtfully, "I believe you are doing the best you can considering the circumstances." He looked over at Noctis with a smile. "Dear Noctis, we cannot see the future or know what others are planning. As such we must do what we can with the information we have." Ignis reached out and grabbed Noct's hand, bringing it up to his lips to press a gentle kiss on it. "Believe in yourself." Noctis smiled and relaxed into Ignis' touch.

A/N: This chapter was so hard to write! Especially the ending, I had to rewrite it 4 times before I was satisfied. I guess that's what happens when you have no set plan/plot and just snapshots of what's going to happen. Writing how to get them from one snapshot to another is hard O_O Please review and let me know what you think! Are you enjoying this? What are you not liking? What do you think will happen next? Your reviews make my day :)


	60. Chapter 60

They left the motel after a good lunch and headed straight for Lestallum. The trip from Longwythe was only a few hours, so Noctis managed to convince Ignis to let him drive. He even ended up having a good time doing it. He was glad to see the tunnel leading to Lestallum free of soldiers, though the barriers were still there, merely pushed aside and out of the way.

The city itself was bustling despite the late hour; ribbons of lights hanging from street lamps and blue flowers practically dripping from every balcony. Noctis had to slow down significantly as the street became packed with people. The heavy, humid air was filled with energy.

"We should consider parking the Regalia and continuing on foot," Ignis said. "Most of these people seem to speaking of Lunafreya." It was true; the snatches of conversations they could hear over the general din of the crowd were about the Oracle.

Noctis nodded, scanning the area for a place to stop safely. It took several minutes of slow manoeuvering before he was able to do just that, leaving the Regalia safely on a side street. Gladio stepped in front as they entered the crowd, opening a path with his bulk for the others to follow. They went with the flow of the crowd, Noctis tangling his hands with Ignis and Prompto as it grew more packed towards the main plaza.

"Gladio!" Crowe's voice came from somewhere above and to the right. They all looked up and smiled as they spotted the glaive waving at them from a balcony. Prompto started waving back with a laugh which made her grin. "Take the next right and follow it until you reach the junction. Libs will be there." Gladio waved his acknowledgement and gently pushed his way through the crowd into the passage Crowe had indicated.

It was barely wide enough for Gladio to walk through, but it was empty of people and much quieter than the streets they had just left. Like most side streets of Lestallum, this one was filled with twists and turns. The shadows were deepening in between the buildings as they advanced deeper into the bowels of the city, making them hurry up slightly in search of more light.

Just as Crowe had said, they found Libertus standing at the next junction, stiff and alert as he scanned the crowd passing him by. Prompto jogged forward. "Libs!" announcing their presence with his exuberant greeting.

Libertus grinned as he glanced over his shoulder at them before returning to his task. "Hey Kiddo. Glad to see you in one piece." Prompto bounced to a stop beside Libertus, taking a similar stance to his with a cheeky smile. Libertus shook his head with a small laugh before he greeted the others. "Princeling, Ignis, Gladio; nice to see you too."

Gladio chuckled and clasped his shoulder. "The feeling is mutual Libs. How are things going?" Gladio's eyes were scanning the crowd with just as much intensity as Libertus', making Noctis and Prompto share amused but proud glances between each other as they listened in on the conversation.

Libs shrugged, "It's been quiet. A lot of people out to see the Oracle, but only a small percentage of those actually need her care so Nyx and Ravus haven't had to drag her out of the plaza yet." The comment drew chuckles from all of them; Libertus waiting until they stopped before continuing, a faint smile on his lips. "Other than the big crowd, Pelna had to deal with some creeps who wanted to take unsanctioned pictures of Luna but that's the extent of the trouble we've had."

Prompto growled, "Bastards like that shouldn't be allowed to touch a camera." Ignis wrapped an arm around Prompto at his outburst but was nodding in agreement. Noctis and Gladio were just as disgusted as Prompto sounded at the idea of someone taking pictures of Luna without her consent.

"Remind me to get something nice for Pelna." Noctis muttered.

Libertus grinned and jerked his head towards a restaurant across the street. "We've got reservations there. Why don't you go in first and we'll join you once Luna is done? Nyx just let us know she was on her last patient." Noctis perked up at the news and shifted eagerly in place, looking between Libs and the mentioned restaurant.

Ignis sighed, "I suppose there is no harm in doing so." Noctis and Prompto cheered and, with a wave to Libertus, headed straight over. Ignis smiled as he watched them weave through the crowd together. Gladio heaved an exasperated sigh and went after them leaving Ignis with Libertus. Ignis waited until they were safely out of earshot before he spoke up again. "What of the Cure production?"

Libertus winced at the question. "Not too good. The Niffs did a lot damage to the production plant the University had. They're working hard on rebuilding it but it's going to take a while before they can make any significant amount of the vaccine." Ignis sighed; he had been expecting as much considering how much Niflheim relied on its magitek.

He thanked Libertus for his help and made his way through the crowd. It was only just starting to thin down, a few people starting to move countercurrent. Ignis kept an eye out for anyone unusual, only relaxing once he got into the restaurant.

The restaurant was unremarkable from the outside but the moment Ignis walked in, his opinion changed drastically. The entrance was a delightfully-decorated hallway that sloped gently upwards towards the maître d′, who bowed at Ignis and wasted no time in bringing him to Noctis.

The table was in a semi-private nook that was big enough to accommodate over ten people with ease. Noctis and Prompto were scouring through the menu, pointing at various things as Ignis approached leaving Gladio to be the one to greet him. Ignis smiled, giving a quick nod to the maître d′, before sliding into the seat beside Gladio with a hum of appreciation. Even the seats were tasteful, neither too soft nor too hard and made of a very nice material.

"Nice place, eh Specs?" Gladio said softly. Ignis nodded and they both settled in to watch Noctis and Prompto debate what to get off the menu. They looked their age, young and full of life as they argued over something as simple as what to order first. He must have looked forlorn or something because Gladio slipped a hand on his leg, giving it a gentle squeeze. "What's up? You clearly have something on your mind."

Ignis placed a hand over Gladio's without taking his eyes off from the two younger boys. "They're so young and yet the Astrals demand his death." Gladio twisted his hand until he could tangle his fingers with Ignis' and squeezed tightly, not saying anything yet. Ignis was grateful for his silence.

"What are we going to do Gladio?" Ignis continued, "I know Prompto said there was hope in changing the outcome of the Prophecy, but is there really?" He passed his free hand over his mouth, hiding the downward twist of his lips. "The Prophecy has existed for thousands of years. It was created by the Draconian itself! What possibility is there for change, if the Astrals do not wish for it?" Ignis clamped his mouth shut, forcing himself to look away from the happy duo as he tried to get his emotions under control.

Gladio whispered, "Oh, Iggy," as he watched his boyfriend wrestle with despair. He wasn't sure what had brought this on, but it didn't matter. He tugged Ignis closer, bringing his hand to cup Ignis' neck, and pressed his forehead to Ignis firmly. He still didn't say anything, knowing that it wasn't what Ignis needed at this very moment. He focused on being steady and there.

Gladio wasn't surprised when he felt Noctis and Prompto approach them, slightly hesitant to join with Ignis probably looking overwhelmed. He didn't want to move, and settled for sending them a look to give them space. Prompto, adorable and brilliant body-reader that he was, got the message. He tugged Noctis away with a saddened nod and they sat back down, just a touch closer and quieter than before.

It took several long minutes before Ignis managed to get his emotions under control. He took a few more moments to bask in Gladio's warm comfort before squeezing his hand to indicate he was okay. Gladio smiled and squeezed the back on his neck once before releasing him and Ignis returned the smile. "My apo.." Ignis was quite surprised when he found a finger on his lip, interrupting his apology. The raised brow from the man in front of him told Ignis what Gladio thought of his attempt to apologize.

Prompto and Noctis carefully sidled closer. Noctis leaned closer and asked, "Need anything?" Ignis shook his head. Noctis nodded, "Okay. Want to talk about it?" Ignis considered it for a moment before he gave an hesitant nod. Prompto grinned and moved closer, bringing a glass of water.

It took a few moments for Ignis to speak, moments to gather his thoughts and make sense of his emotions. He half-hoped that Lunafreya and her escort would arrive and interrupt the conversation before it even began. Of course that was merely his desire to run away, the one that appeared on rare occasions when he felt things slipping out of his control. With a sip of water and a deep fortifying breath, Ignis tried to make sense of his fear.

"I am unsure as to what triggered my anxiety. Perhaps it was seeing the empty space where Titan once stood," Ignis shook his head slowly then turned his gaze to Noctis, "but I was suddenly struck by the immensity and…. seeming impossibility of saving you from the fate foretold by the Prophecy." Ignis stopped, pressing his lips together until they were pale white against his skin.

No one spoke, stunned by Ignis' admission and not wanting to interrupt his thoughts yet. "The cure that Mrs. Argentum created from Prompto's blood has certainly proven its worth by diminishing the presence of natural Scourge in all but the darkest corners of Eos; but how does that help us save you?" Ignis dropped his gaze from Noctis to the glass of water he still held.

"Gentiana herself said it, the Prophecy must come to pass." Ignis whispered, "and it clearly states that the Chosen King must die to restore the Light to Eos." With his shoulders slumped forward and his gaze focused anywhere but towards his friends, Ignis looked utterly lost and alone amidst his boyfriends.

As Noctis and Gladio took in Ignis' words, Prompto reacted. He smiled in what he hoped was a comforting way and reminded Ignis of something he seemed to have forgotten in his anxiety. "Iggy, Gentiana also said that Noctis could make his own path, that he had gained new possibilities." Prompto grinned as he saw Ignis head whip up to stare at him, a faint blush on his cheeks. "Plus it's not up to you to figure this out by yourself! Honestly Iggy," Prompto's smile took out any bite from his words, "we're in this together, right? So please talk to us."

The faint blush on Ignis' cheeks blossomed into fullness within seconds, but the moment was broken when Crowe's voice rang out. "Uh, what's got Specs so worked up?" All their heads snapped towards the entrance of the restaurant and Noctis scrambled to his feet as Luna, Ravus and the glaives arrived.

Luna and Ravus were leading the group, the former leaning rather heavily on the latter as they walked up to the table. The glaives were spread out in a loose circle around them, still keeping an eye out within the relative safety of the restaurant. Noctis shot a look at Ignis, worried even as his boyfriend straightened in his seat, the blush fading slowly from his cheek.

"It's great to see you all." Noctis said as he motioned for them to sit down at the table. Ravus helped Luna sit down with a nod towards Noctis. The rest followed their lead with smiles and good humor except for Crowe, who stood waiting for an answer with crossed arms and an inquisitive glint in her eyes.

Ignis cleared his throat, refusing to meet Crowe's eyes as he answered, "We were discussing how to get Noctis to eat his veggies. I used to blend them into his smoothies all the time but the recent weeks have made such things hard to come by." Noctis swivelled to stare in shock at Ignis, a look of utter betrayal in his eyes. "Prompto's suggestion was so simple, I was shocked I hadn't thought of it before."

The laughter that followed was good natured and teasing, with Ravus not so discreetly asking whether there were vegetarian options on the menu for Noctis. They spent the next hour or so catching up on news and talking about general things as they ate. Noctis, Ignis, Prompto and Gladio watched with amusement as the glaives ganged up with Ravus to pile food on Luna's plate, encouraging her to eat more with worry in their eyes.

Luna was tired enough that she didn't argue against their mothering, a sure sign of her state. Prompto frowned; his mom had posited that all magic used up energy at a tremendous rate and overuse of it could do serious damage. Luna already knew that she should have been taking care of herself by eating properly and frequently. There was no way that Nyx or Ravus hadn't reminded her to do that either, so why was she so tired? He glanced at both men and saw the worry in their eyes. If his mom were here, this would be an easy fix; but since she wasn't Prompto would have to convince Luna to go see a doctor.

He didn't bring it up yet, just quietly saved it as an unsent text to the group. Prompto hummed as he put his phone away and turned his attention to the conversation at hand. Obviously he had missed something as Crowe, Pelna and Ignis were debating the possible ways Ardyn and Chancellor Izunia's unique magical abilities could work.

"It's got to be an illusion. Something that's inserted straight into the target's mind. It would explain the lack of time Noctis described," Pelna was saying.

Crowe shook her head, "No way. Something like that would be insanely complicated! Even a genius like me couldn't manage that in a single lifetime." She scowled. "It's more likely a unique ability that's tied to their bloodline, the way the Lucis Caelums can use another dimension or the Nox Fleurets can heal. Something that's innate."

Ignis sighed, passing a hand over his eyes. "That may very well be, considering we believe both of them to be related to the Lucis Caelums in some manner. Ardyn has introduced himself as such, and his access to the Armiger does lend credibility to his words. And with the Chancellor being so similar in appearance to the man, fraternal brothers or twins should be considered." Prompto nodded; he remembered the night Ardyn showed up.

Nyx seemed shocked and he wasn't the only one. Libertus practically spit out his drink, choking and coughing as he exclaimed. "What? There are Caelum bastards running around?" Noctis glared at Libs who hurried to wipe his mouth, "I mean, should we be worried about someone trying to make use of the invasion to try to claim the throne?"

Noctis shook his head, "I doubt it, seeing as a King of Lucis must be found worthy by the Ring and the Crystal." He glanced over at Ignis, a playful gleam to his eyes as he added, "If it hadn't been for that, the 69th king's legacy would have been a civil war between… what was it? Almost 27 children between all his different love affairs?" Ignis nodded stiffly, drawing chuckles from the group.

Gladio leaned back, head looking up at the decoration on the ceiling. "I remember learning about that. There is...was a book in our house filled with the names of each of those kids and a complete personality description from before the Amorous King died. The Shield and his kids had their hands full trying to figure out who to guard and how." He shook his head and took another swing of his glass. The wine was starting to give him a nice buzz.

They kept on talking as time flew by, even as Luna fell asleep against Nyx. They talked about what they thought Niflheim might do next, and spent more time trying to figure how to deal with the threat Chancellor Izunia represented. The streets were dark and empty by the time they set out towards the Leville, Luna draped across Nyx's back in deep slumber. They parted company and left to their own rooms quietly, unaware of the figure that had followed them to the hotel.

A/N: So I have an official end to Bahamut's Prophecy. It will be about 75 chapters long though it might be closer to 80 by the time I'm actually done writing it out. Either way, this part of the Cure au is coming to an end. This will not be the end of the adventure but I kinda want to take a break to focus on my book that I started a year ago.

Don't worry I have no intention of disappearing from the fandom or my au but I will be updating less frequently once Bahamut is done until I'm satisfied with my book.


	61. Chapter 61

Gladio woke up with a slight hangover and rolled over with a groan. He glanced at the clock before trying to bury his face back in his pillow. Six a.m. Sometimes he hated having such a rigorously strict schedule. He sighed to himself, and allowed himself to wallow in the warmth of the bed for a bit longer before getting up.

Noctis was curled up between Ignis' arms with Prompto half sprawled over them. Gladio chuckled softly at the sight, reaching over to rearrange the sheets properly over his boyfriends before he got ready to head out to start his morning run. He had just opened the door when Ignis' sleepy voice called out, "Gladio?" in a slightly confused manner.

Gladio smiled, turning around to see Ignis struggling to get up without disturbing their younger halves. With a huff of laughter, Gladio soundlessly closed the door and motioned for Ignis to stop moving as he walked back towards the bed. Ignis looked adorable; eyes filled with sleepiness in the slight morning light. Gladio leaned forward and kissed Ignis gently. "Go back to sleep; I'm just going for my run. Do you need me to stop and grab anything on my way back?" Ignis hummed into the kiss and settled back against the pillows as he considered the offer. A few minutes later, Gladio was out on the streets of Lestallum with a small list of items to buy on his return.

The streets of Lestallum were mostly empty at this early hour, and the heat was barely tolerable as Gladio jogged through the streets. His hangover made it a bit more difficult than normal, his head pounding slightly in time with his heartbeat. He had stopped briefly to buy a muffin and a bottle of water by the market, which had helped quite a bit. His mid-way point of the day's run was the viewing platform near the power plant. Gladio grinned as he felt his blood pumping through his body as he continued on his way.

As he climbed the last few steps to the viewing platform, Gladio slowed down and walked over to the railing before stretching slowly as he admired the view. It was a bit strange not to see the Archaean holding the meteor up any longer, but at least the volcanic eruption hadn't caused any damage to Lestallum. The meteor itself was still visible though the mountain peaks, though now much lower and at a vastly different angle than before.

It was still a breathtaking sight as the sun emerged behind the crystal parts of the meteor, casting shards of rainbows into the morning sky. Gladio finished the bottle of water and grabbed his phone to refresh his memory on what Ignis wanted him to get and where he could find them. A notification on the top of his screen caught his attention.

Chancellor Izunia announces visit to Accordo for economic trade agreement

Gladio hissed as he read the article that accompanied the news line; there was no detail about the reason for the sudden visit concerning what appeared to be a previously undiscussed trade agreement. Gladio scoffed as he sent the link to his dad and Ignis; this was undoubtedly linked to the Chancellor's strong desire for Noctis to go to Altissia. His phone rang.

"Good morning, Gladio." His dad's voice was a bit of a surprise; he hadn't expected a call this early in the morning.

"Good morning to you too, Dad." Gladio said, "What's up? Everything okay?" He racked his brain trying to determine reasons why his dad would be calling so early. Had the article held something he had missed? Had Dad and Uncle Cor received new information that needed to be shared right away? Was there a threat, a new one, towards someone?

The warm chuckle from his dad reassured him instantly. "Everything is fine Gladiolus; no need to worry. I can hear your brain working through the phone." It was said teasingly but Gladio blushed nonetheless. Maybe he had a bit of a bad habit to break. "I was wondering how you were feeling this morning, considering your evening."

Gladio's jaw dropped as he stuttered a bit before being able to manage a coherent answer. "Wh...How… Shit, Prompto was sending those pictures out wasn't he?" The laughter was answer enough and Gladio sighed, only a bit exasperated by Prompto drunk-sending his pictures to their family. "I'm good. A bit hungover but I didn't drink that much." Gladio started to walk back towards the hotel as he talked. He could finish his jog later.

"I'm glad to hear it. How are the others?"

"Asleep for the most part. Ignis woke up as I left but I told him to go back to sleep. He was stuck between Noct and Prom." Gladio enjoyed the easy conversation with his dad as he made his way through Lestallum's market, picking up what Ignis needed for breakfast. Iris was taking her role of assistant seriously as she helped Monica and Dustin, and apparently doing a great job at it too.

He was back in front of the Leville before he knew it, bag of groceries in one arm and phone in the other, feeling better than he had the last two days. Someone bumped into him from behind, forcing Gladio to tighten his grip around the groceries as he half-turned to glare at whoever was responsible. The bag slipped from suddenly-numb hands, eggs breaking on contact with the too-hot cement and turning white beside the black case of his phone.

Gladio blinked.

His knees were burning yet freezing at the same time. When had he dropped to them? His ears rang with a continuous buzzing sound that blocked everything else. Noctis… Ignis… Prompto…. Were they safe?

Ignis listened to Gladio leave as he settled down between Noctis and Prompto. He doubted he would be able to fall asleep again; it went against many ingrained habits, but he could doze a bit. Noctis was a warm mass against his chest while Prompto was a comfortable weight over him. It was peaceful and relaxing. Ignis pressed a kiss on Noctis' forehead and on Prompto's hand, determined to try and stay in bed at least until Gladio returned.

The shrill sound of his phone's emergency call function shattered that peaceful sensation. Ignis scrambled to get at his phone, barely glancing as Noctis and Prompto woke up at the sound. "Scientia speaking." He said in a clipped tone.

"Ignis, have Prompto take Noctis to Lunafreya and head down front now!" The Marshall's voice snapped at him, not wasting a second. Ignis didn't dare do anything less as he relayed the orders to Prompto, sent a mental thanks that he slept in pyjamas and ran to the staircase. He didn't bother with the stairs and jumped down from one side of the inner railings to the other.

He dropped to the last floor with ease and hurried through the doors into the lobby. A crowd was gathered by the entrance; shouts of someone being injured causing Ignis worry about Gladio as he used his elbows and height to get through the crowd. He burst through it and stumbled to a stop at the sight of his Gladio, his beloved, collapsed in a pool of blood.

His heart dropped into his stomach as he rushed towards the fallen Shield, an elixir summoned into hand and his mind ready to bring one of their rare phoenix downs out should it be required. His eyes flicked up into the crowd, scanning for a threat, a hint of who was responsible for such an act, before returning to the task at hand. His eyes lingered on the broken bag of groceries even as he shattered the elixir against Gladio's back. The bystander that had been putting pressure on the wound looked up as Ignis nudged him out of the way.

"Gladiolus! Answer me!" Clarus' voice was unexpected. Ignis blinked rapidly, searching for the source and he quickly found it among the broken egg shells. He was slightly surprised to see it was still functioning properly, drenched as it was by blood and other liquids.

Ignis picked it up, "Lord Amicitia, I am with Gladiolus. I have administered an elixir and will contact you once I know more." He forced himself to hang up on Gladio's dad, dropping the phone into the armiger as he allowed his other hand to wander over Gladio's back in search of any remaining injuries. He found what seemed to be the main injury, a deep cut that was less than an inch in length located towards the middle of his lower back.

Ignis frowned, the cut was still bleeding sluggishly despite the elixir. Was it poisoned? Ignis summoned an antidote and crushed it against the wound. The Lucis Caelum's magic escaped the flask in a shattering of blue light over inflamed red. Nothing changed. Ignis felt his breath hitch in his throat as he grabbed a potion next and tried that only to see no change as the pool of red continued to grow. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

There was no time or reason to continue using something that wouldn't work and Ignis turned to his lessons in first aid as he put pressure on the injury. "Has someone called for an ambulance?" asked Ignis. The bystander from earlier nodded, clearly ready to help if needed. Ignis nodded to himself, at least Gladio would be well cared for.

Said ambulance arrived less than 2 minutes later, taking over for Ignis and the bystander with practiced efficiency. Ignis stepped back, hesitating on whether or not he should accompany his boyfriend to the hospital or stay with Noctis. A voice called out his name from the growing crowd.

Crowe and Pelna, both scanning the crowd as they walked over. Crowe took one look at Ignis' face and pointed at the ambulance. "Go with him, we'll take care of things here." Ignis heaved a sigh of relief, bowing in wordless thanks before hurrying after the paramedics as they put Gladio into the back of their ambulance. The paramedic that stayed in the back said nothing as Ignis settled into a seat, reaching out to hold one of Gladio's too-cold hands in his own.

The trip to the hospital felt too long to Ignis as he listened to every reassuring beep of the heart monitor, and answered the questions asked by the paramedic concerning Gladio's history. He made certain to mention his use, and the failure, of the elixir, antidote and potion; watching hawkishly as the paramedic frowned deeply at the information before contacting the hospital to update them on the situation.

Gladiolus was whisked away by a team of nurses as soon as they arrived, straight into one of the high priority rooms. Ignis stood carefully out of the way, watching as the medical team moved swiftly in their care. Blood was drawn and sent to be analyzed. IV's were inserted and a blood transfusion was started. Ignis kept his hands clasped tightly behind his back, tense as he watched an x-ray being taken; the image checked for anything stuck in the wound before the doctor started on cleaning and stitching the injury.

The procedure was quick and Ignis was soon allowed to sit beside Gladio's bed as the doctor explained what they had found so far and what the next few steps were. Gladio was still pale, which accentuated the dark bags under his eyes, but his face was free of pain. Now with a better idea of what was going on, Ignis grabbed Gladio's cellphone and made the first call.

"Gladiolus?" Lord Amicitia voice was tense and hopeful as he answered Ignis' called.

"Gladio is resting at the Lestallum Hospital." Ignis heard a sharp intake of breath from the father and he hurried to reassure him before he grew too worried. "He sustained a stab wound to the lower back, close to his kidney, that required 16 stitches." Ignis paused for a moment before continuing, "They are running tests to determine whether the blade was poisoned somehow as my attempts to heal him failed."

There was a long pause before Ignis heard anything from the other end of the call. "Are you alright, Ignis?" The question was unexpected but appreciated.

"I am fine, Sir. A bit shaken but I'll be alright once Gladio wakes up and we know exactly what happened." Ignis replied softly as he gazed gently at his boyfriend. "I'll be calling the others in a moment to update them on the situation as well." Gladio's dad hummed in agreement.

"We were talking when he suddenly stopped mid-sentence. I knew something was wrong and had Cor call you. I heard nothing suspicious neither before nor right after the event." Ignis could hear how much that fact was bothering him. "Ignis…"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for staying by his side."

Ignis smiled, reaching out to raise one of Gladio's limp hands to his lips. "Always. I'll call you again should Gladio wake up or if the doctors return with news." With little left to say, Ignis hung up and dialed his own phone, left with Prompto at the Leville.

"Iggy?" Prompto's voice was hopeful and worried.

"It's me, Prompto. Gladio is at the hospital, out of danger but waiting for some test results," Ignis reassured him. "Is everything fine over there?"

Ignis waited patiently as he heard Prompto repeat his words to whomever was around, likely Noctis, Lunafreya, and Ravus; before he returned to answer him. "I'm really glad to hear he's doing okay! Crowe said there was a lot of blood and we were really worried. As for here…." Prompto yelped.

"Hey Specs! You and Gladio are at the Lestallum Hospital right?" Noctis asked quickly, the sound of someone getting angry filtering through the call.

"Yes, but why…" Ignis began to reply.

"Got it. See ya soon then cuz Luna's getting a full check up whether she likes it or not," declared Noctis before hanging up without leaving Ignis any time to ask questions. He was left staring at a silent phone, the time stamp mocking him with how early it was. Not even 9 a.m. and his prince was about to start an international incident.


	62. Chapter 62

The shrill cry of the emergency phone startled Noctis awake. For a long, tense moment he was in his bed at home; warm and comfortable in his large bed with his lovers around him. Woken up by another attempt on his dad's life or a serious accident that required his immediate attention.

Then he remembered that Niflheim had invaded Insomnia and his dad was a prisoner of the insane Chancellor. Noctis bolted up and looked around him, eyes quickly finding Ignis talking on his phone. His fingers clenched around the sheets as Ignis shouted, "Get Noctis to Lunafreya!" while throwing his phone at Prompto before he sprinted out of the room. Prompto caught the phone, sharing a bewildered look with Noctis before he pressed the phone to his ear.

Noctis slid out of bed and grabbed his clothes, putting them on as he listened to Prompto talk. "Got it…. I'll let them know and sent them down to help… You too." Prompto hung up, getting dressed in a hurry as he turned to Noct. "Gladio was attacked. Ignis went to help but we need to get you to safety." Noctis nodded numbly, worry and anger rising at the news but he tamped it down.

He couldn't let Ignis get worried about him if Gladio was hurt. Allowing Prompto to take the lead, Noctis followed him towards the Nox Fleuret and Kingsglaive suites. Libertus answered the door on the first knock, eyes sharp as he jumped from Noctis' stern expression and Prompto's worried one. "What happened?" Libertus asked in a low voice.

"Gladio was attacked while talking with his dad. Uncle Cor called Ignis to tell him to go help him. We're supposed to stay here with Luna until we know it's safe," Prompto replied as he gently forced Noct to enter first, glancing around the hall for anyone suspicious before entering into the room and closing the door behind him.

Libertus tensed a the news, reaching behind Prompto to lock the door before bringing both men further into the suite. Nyx, Crowe and Pelna looked up at their entrance, all of them getting to their feet as soon as they saw who it was. "What.." began Nyx.

"Gladio was attacked. Ignis has gone to help him but he might need backup," interrupted Noctis. Nyx shot a glance at his friends, which was returned by Crowe and Pelna. Both Glaives quickly left the room, Libertus following them to the door before returning. Nyx ushered the two younger men into seats, giving them a comfortingly confident smile as he grabbed some coffee for them.

Noctis gave a short, almost perfunctory nod of thanks as he accepted the cup from Nyx. He stared at the black velvet liquid blankly as he grabbed his phone and contemplated whether he should call Cor or not. The sound of a call coming in decided for him. Ignoring the looks from the other three men in the room, Noctis poked at the speaker function of his phone. "How's Gladio?"

Cor's answer was short and to the point. "We don't know yet. Ignis is with him now. Are you safe with Lunafreya and Ravus?"

Nyx leaned in and answered for Noct, "Both of them are still asleep but we haven't seen or heard anything that would suggest a threat."

Cor stayed silent for several moments before he spoke up, "Stay alert and inside until we learn more of the situation. I will contact you if anything changes." Noctis relaxed his grip on his coffee cup.

Ignis was with Gladio; that meant Gladio would be safe and back with them soon. He leaned against Prompto, who wrapped an arm around him in return. He started to close his eyes then blushed as his stomach grumbled. The thunk of plates being put in front of them made Noct open his eyes.

Nyx grinned at them, "Here, eat something now that you don't have to worry about the big guy." Plates filled with pancakes were in front of him and Prompto, still warm and looking deliciously fluffy. Libertus dropped a bottle of maple syrup between the plates with a grin before he sat himself beside Prompto. Noctis didn't hesitate as he drenched his plate with the sweet syrup and took a bite of the warm food. It was really good.

Prompto only started eating once Noctis had taken a few bites but once he did, he joined Noct in eating with gusto. They both shot glances towards the door every few bites, clearly expecting the missing members of their group to show up at any moment. Minutes passed. Pancakes were demolished with diminishing interest and appetite. No one entered.

"Do you think they're okay?" whispered Prompto, shifting on his chair with anxious energy. Noctis tried to give a comforting smile but he could barely contain his own worry as he checked the time for the nth time since the call from Cor. 7:45 am. Ignis had been gone for 45 minutes without news.

Nyx and Libertus had given them space as time passed on, staying close by in case they were needed but without crowding them. Neither of the Nox Fleurets were up yet, which seemed slightly odd to Noctis but his worry about Ignis and Gladio pushed away the oddness for later consideration. A knock on the suite door made them all tense up, Nyx and Libertus shooting stern glances at the younger men as they headed to answer.

Noctis got to his feet but stayed by the table even as he listened with bated breath for his boyfriends' voices. Instead it was Crowe's that answered Nyx's question. She and Pelna entered, twin frowns on their faces causing Noctis to demand, "What happened? Where are Ignis and Gladio? Are they alright?" He had unconsciously raised his voice in his growing panic until his voice was just short of shouting.

Crowe was quick to answer him, her eyes filled with understanding as she did so. "Ignis is accompanying Gladio to the hospital." Prompto grabbed Noctis' arm in shocked horror while Noctis starred at Crowe numbly. "The big guy lost a lot of blood but seemed otherwise okay. It looked like Ignis' attempts to heal him had failed." Crowe shook her head and was about to continue her report when a door leading to one of the bedrooms opened.

Ravus stepped out of his room, eyes blinking away the sleep still present there. "What's going on?" He asked looking between all of them with a furrow between his brow.

Noctis allowed Nyx to explain the situation to him, as he got Crowe to describe what had happened, what she and Pelna had seen in detail. Ravus seemed as worried at the news as the rest of them and, after a moment of whispered debate with Nyx, cast a lingering look on the door beside his own before joining them at the table to wait for news.

Noctis reached out and tangled his hand with Prompto's, squeezing it gently as they waited. His eyes kept returning to Ravus though, partly as an attempt to keep his mind busy and partly due to how concerned he was about his friend and fellow Prince.

Ravus had dark circles under his eyes that stood out starkly against his pale skin. The shoulder where the magitek arm met flesh was red and inflamed with a few streaks of black stretching from the joint towards the center of his chest. It was as though the scourge that powered his arm had grown worse.

Noctis frowned and glanced at Prompto. As he expected, his boyfriend's eyes were fixed on Ravus. Prompto's eyes were filled with determination and anger, the kind that Noctis recognized as coming from a place of love, as he drew himself to his feet and made his way to his cousin.

Ravus meet Prompto's eyes, shoulders straightening imperceptibly as his approach. Prompto came to stop beside Ravus, arms crossing in front of his chest. "Why is your arm like that?" Prompto's gaze flicked to said arm before returning to gauge Ravus' reaction.

A quick glance around the room showed Nyx, Crowe, Libertus and Pelna looking with pleased grins at the confrontation. Noctis could easily guess they had tried bringing the subject up before with no success. He turned his gaze back to Prompto and leaned on his open hand; it was a decent distraction from the seemingly endless wait.

"It is of no concern, Prompto." Ravus answered simply, doubtless hoping to put an end to the conversation before it even begun. A bad decision; Prompto drew himself up to his full height, causing him to tower over the seated Captain of the Kingsglaive. A stern finger pointed at the swollen shoulder with reproach, and a raised eyebrow made Prompto's thoughts clear on Ravus' answer.

"Really, Ray-ray?" Prompto said in a deadpan tone, "Your shoulder looks infected and you're telling ME it's of no concern?" The twitch of Ravus brow was quite telling as Prompto continued his tirade. "Nuh-uh! You and Luna are both stubborn idiots when it comes to your health, and I'm not going to stand by and watch you keep hurting yourself like this." Ravus looked away from Prompto.

Noctis grinned, Prompto could be a bear when he wanted to; something he learned from his mom. Right now, Ravus was bearing the brunt of it, though he had no doubt Luna would join her brother as soon as she woke up. "Prompto is right, you know." Noctis said then indicated the happy Glaives. "And I have a feeling these guys have said something about it before too." The four Glaives nodded.

Ravus pressed his lips together tightly, and for a moment Noctis thought he was going to stay silent. Ravus turned his mismatched eyes unto Prompto with a bitter reluctance shining through them. "And what exactly am I supposed to do? Ask Luna for help when she is so exhausted already and won't tell anyone why? Go to a doctor who won't know what to do about the Magitek involved? Potions don't do…"

"Ravus? Is everything alright?" The confrontation had clearly woken Luna as she stumbled out of her room. She stopped at the door, undoubtedly surprised by Noctis' and Prompto's presence. "Noct? Prompto? What are you doing here? Where is…" She was interrupted by a sudden coughing fit that sent Nyx rushing to her side to support her shaking frame until it stopped.

"I'm alright Nyx, truly." Luna said in a hoarse voice, trying to reassure Nyx with a pained smiled. Nyx frowned at her, keeping a grip on her forearm as he guided her towards the table. Noctis had gotten up as Luna's cough had started and now offered her his seat as Prompto turned to look at Luna with ever growing worry.

Luna was out of breath by the time she sat down, her face flushed an unhealthy red and yet pale under it. Crowe placed a glass of water in front of her with a pointed glare even as Libertus set about make more pancakes for the obviously ill Oracle. Luna closed her eyes for a brief moment after she drank before turning her tired gaze unto Prompto and Noctis with curiosity. "So why are you both here without Gladio or Ignis?" The morning's events were swiftly recounted to her.

"Oh! That is horrible!" Luna exclaimed. She started to shake her head only to stop suddenly, growing paler even as she spoke. "As soon as I am done eating, we shall go to the hospital and I will see what I can do to hel…" several pairs of hands slammed against the table in quick succession.

"No!" Ravus spoke first, though he was careful not to allow his sister to see his shoulder. "You are in no state to do any healing Luna! Please, you need to rest." He pleaded.

Libertus nodded as he dropped a plate of thin but warm pancakes in front of her. "The Captain is absolutely right. You've been ignoring your own health for too long." Pelna nodded firmly from his side of the table and Crowe looked moments away from adding to the lecture.

Prompto shot Ravus an incredulous look at his lecture. "If Mom was here, you'd both be in trouble for your self-harming behavior," he stated, putting his hands on his hips with disappointment dripping from his tone. His words had the siblings stop glaring at each other, dropping their heads towards the ground.

Noctis agreed with the statement. No matter how it was worded or justified, both Ravus and Luna were allowing themselves to suffer rather than asking for help or taking care of themselves the way they knew they should. He pressed a hand against Luna's shoulder. "What's going on Luna? What aren't you telling us?" He watched her carefully and when she tensed at his words; Noctis gave it a shot in the dark. "Did you 'forget' to tell us something about the Prophecy or the Covenants, Luna?"

The full body flinch she gave was visible to everyone. "Luna…" Noctis sighed, closing his eyes for a brief moment. Even without looking, he knew the others were tense and worried, waiting for an explanation and trusting him to coax the truth out of Luna. "We want to help you, but you have to trust us and tell us what is going on. Please." He knelt down beside her, gathering her cold thin hands in his own and waited.

Luna didn't look at Noctis, or anyone else, for several long minutes but Noctis stayed as he was, waiting patiently for her to be ready. He trusted Prompto to take care of Ravus, and knew that the others would understand what he was trying to do. When Luna finally squeezed his hands weakly, slowly meeting his eyes, Noctis smiled encouragingly.

As Luna started speaking, Noctis' smile dropped. His shoulders tensed up and he gritted his teeth together. He had to fight himself not to accidentally crush Luna's hands and found himself ever so grateful when Crowe, never one to mince words, swore vividly. "What do you mean you're sick because you aren't on your way to make the next covenant? Don't those also make you sick?" Noctis could _see_ lightning dancing on her skin and flashing through her eyes.

Luna's mouth twitched into a small smile as she nodded slowly and with deliberate carefulness. "It seems to be mostly Bahamut's doing, but essentially…" Luna turned her eyes back to Noctis, "So you see, it was not because I did not trust you that I said nothing; but rather because there is nothing to be done." She looked resigned. It was a horrible look on her and Noctis hated it.

He jumped on his feet, still holding unto Luna, and called out, "Prom, think that the hospital or the uni would have a copy of your mom's research paper on the effects of magic on the body?"

Prompto grinned viciously. "They should both have it, but if not then I'll grab it from Mom's online storage." They both shared determined grins that were echoed by the others in the room.

Luna exclaimed, "Noctis! Didn't you understand? You cannot help me! This is a cost associated to the Prophecy, one I cannot…"

"Screw them!" Noctis finally had enough as he dropped her hands. "I don't care about the Astrals or the Prophecy right now! Gladio is hurt! Ravus' arm isn't doing well and you're sick because some asshole is pissed off that things aren't going exactly the way he wants it to!" He snapped his mouth shut and walked a few steps away. He hadn't meant to shout. He could hear Prompto talking behind him, then Nyx and Crowe, but the words were indistinguishable as he tried to calm down his racing thoughts.

Noctis took a deep breath, held it then let it go before he turned back. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost my temper like that." Noctis swept a hand over his face. "Look Luna, even if we can't fix the source of the problem _yet_ ," he emphasized the word, "there are ways to help you weather the strain of the Prophecy, like Aunt Sylva did for Dad and the Wall." Noctis paused and met Luna's gaze. "Will you at least try?"

Noctis saw the slump in her shoulders and was fairly sure he had convinced her but before she could verbalize an answer, Ignis' phone rang. Noctis hurried over as Prompto answered and cheered as he learned that Gladio was going to be fine. He glanced over at Luna and caught the stubborn glint in her eyes. Nope, he was not allowing her to back out of a visit to the doctor.

Noctis grabbed the phone from Prompto and asked Ignis, "Hey Specs! You and Gladio are at the Lestallum Hospital, right?" When Ignis confirmed it, he declared they would be heading there shortly and hung up. Noctis met Luna's gaze firmly, unapologetic in face of her anger. He wasn't going to back down on this.

Nyx walked up to Luna, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he said, "Well then. We'd best start getting ready then. Pelna, Libs, go grab the car and bring it up front. Luna will finish her breakfast while Crowe packs a small overnight bag," Nyx ignored the look Luna sent him, "in case she needs to stay longer than a day."

Ravus sighed and turned to Prompto, "I will go do the same, if Prompto is willing to help me?" Prompto gleefully accepted. They all left to get ready, leaving only Nyx, Luna and Noctis in the room.

Noctis gave the other two space, watching as Nyx coaxed Luna into eating most of what had been put in front of her. He was surprised when Luna spoke to him. "Noctis… Are you angry at me?"

"No, I'm not." Noctis replied softly as he turned to her. Nyx met his gaze, pressed a kiss on her cheek then left the room quietly. "I am angry but it's not at you… well maybe a bit frustrated by your recent lack of self-care but that's all." He walked over and took a seat beside her.

Luna sighed. "I'm sorry about that but it's just… there are so many people who were injured or exposed to the Scourge while Niflheim held Lestallum that I… tried to forget my troubles by helping them." Noctis nodded and listened. "And when I tried to reach Carbuncle as you had requested only to learn about that…" She frowned.

Noctis lips twitched. He was worried about Carbuncle but it looked like, "Forget something else you should tell us?"

Luna frowned deeply, for a moment looking utterly confused as she turned to face Noctis with a peculiar expression on her face. "There is, but I can't say anything about it." Noctis tilted his head, confused; and Luna pressed, "Noctis, I literally can not say it. Something is preventing me from doing so."

"Bahamut again?" Noctis asked, growing angrier at the Astral but Luna shrugged, clearly unsure. He frowned, "Okay, there is something going on and you _can't_ talk about it. Fuck! This just keeps getting better and better." Noctis really needed to talk with an adult… Well an experienced adult who knew how to deal with these situations that were complicated, involved prophecies, idiotic Astrals and too many people to keep track of properly.

He sniggered mentally, as if someone like that actually existed. It didn't take much longer for everyone to be ready, Nyx having gone to grab some clothes for Ignis and Gladio since neither Prompto nor Noctis had thought of it. Time to see Gladio, let Ignis rest a bit, and make sure Luna and Ravus got the best care possible.


	63. Chapter 63

Gladio was still unconscious when the others arrived a mere 15 minutes later, but Ignis had worked his magic; slightly grateful for something to do as he waited, he had made arrangements with the hospital staff to receive Ravus and Luna discreetly. They were brought to one of the waiting suites where Prompto outlined the issues for the medical staff. Thankfully, the hospital had had to deal with a few of the suddenly magically endowed people that appeared once the vaccine was introduced to the population, and had the knowledge necessary to treat magic-based illness' and injuries.

Satisfied, Prompto left them in their care while he and Noct went to check up on Ignis and Gladio. Ignis greeted them with a crushing hug, followed by a glare. "What happened?" Noctis and Prompto shared a glance before they explained the situation to Ignis.

"And so, Luna and Ravus are getting checked right now. Once we know how bad the situation is we'll have to call Cor to let them know about the limitations on Luna's movements," Noctis said unhappily while threading his fingers through Gladio's hair. Prompto was sitting on the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb the man as he held Gladio's hand gently. "We also need to figure out who hurt Gladio." Noct's eyes flashed crimson.

Ignis and Prompto both nodded, anger flashing in their eyes as they each considered what they would do to those responsible for hurting their beloved Gladio. "I already asked the local hunters to take a look at any camera in the area for usable footage," Ignis stated as he tapped a finger on his arm. "We should be able to glean a lead from any such footage." Noctis smiled at the news.

"On the other hand," Prompto frowned as he rubbed small circles on Gladio's hand, "That might take too long though." he said. "I wonder if…." he trailed off then turned to Ignis, "Do you think the hospital would have a computer I could use?" Ignis raised a brow questionably. Prompto explained, "There's a camera and video shop on the other side of the Leville. It should be open by now. I think that I can get them to send me all the footage from their window-facing cameras once I explain the situation." He blushed at the look of surprise on Ignis and Noctis' faces.

"That is an excellent idea, Prompto." Ignis said with a nod. "I will go inquire with the nurses, if you two can remain here with Gladio?" They both nodded. Ignis cast one last look at Gladio before he left the room in search of the nursing desk. He ignored the one in the priority emergency room, so as to not disturb the nurses working there for a trifling matter.

He left the emergency area and saw an information desk by the small coffee shop. As he approached his steps faltered in recognition of one of the people manning it. "Hello, Gloria. It's been a while." Gloria whirled around, eyes widening as she saw Ignis. It had been a few months since they had last sat down for a coffee, both of them busy with their jobs at the Citadel during the negotiations.

"Ignis! Are you alright? What about…" She stopped before she could say anything else. "How are the others?" Ignis smiled at her discretion. He had always enjoyed Gloria's company, part of the reason why he had dated her before they both decided they were better as friends.

Ignis lost his smile as he quickly explained that Gladio had been injured, and they wished to find out who was responsible. Gloria didn't hesitate as she ducked under the desk and came out with a laptop bag. "Here," she wrote down something on a piece of paper, adding it to the bag before handing the whole thing over to Ignis, "use my laptop. It'll be better than what the hospital could lend you."

Ignis accepted the bag gratefully, "Thank you Gloria. I would talk more but…" Ignis faltered. Gloria smiled and waved Ignis away. He gave her a quick bow and made his way back to Gladio's room. He entered it to find a doctor talking with Prompto and Noctis as a nurse took some more blood samples from Gladio.

The doctor turned to Ignis. "Ah, Mr. Scientia, now that you've arrived we can explain the results of the blood tests." Ignis tensed up at this and moved to stand beside his lovers. "We found traces of a poison used by Niflheim troops. It's an odd mixture of anticoagulants, malboro-based acid and Scourge. The acid's property explains why the attempts to use magical healing didn't function correctly as it would have healed the damage without removing the acid. We've already cleaned the injury of any remaining trace of said acid and sent for the antidote. It should be arriving soon. Your friend should wake up soon after it's been given to him." A trio of sighs were heard at the good news.

The doctor smiled. "The Scourge itself is an old strain and should react well to the vaccine. Has he previously received it?" The doctor indicated Gladio with his free hand. Ignis shook his head; neither he nor Gladio had been infected by the Scourge before. The doctor nodded and resumed, "Then we will start him with a low dose and monitor for side-effects."

"Other than that, there are some concerns over possible infection, so we are testing for signs of it as well as checking his current vaccination status for tetanus." The doctor finished. "Do you have any questions?" Ignis shook his head after glancing over at Noctis and Prompto. The doctor nodded and left soon after with the nurse.

"Thank the Six," Ignis sighed, "I'm glad the poison wasn't anything serious." Noctis nodded but Prompto was frowning. Ignis shifted to look at the blond, "Is everything alright Prompto?"

Prompto sighed, getting up from the bed though his eyes never left Gladio. "Why would Niflheim mix the Scourge into a poison? It's kinda pointless since the creation of the vaccine…" Ignis blinked surprised. Prompto had a point; it was an odd thing to do.

Something to report to Cor and Gladio's father but for now, Ignis extended the laptop case towards Prompto. "Here, the password should be in there. Is there anything else you need to begin the search?" Prompto shook his head as he took the case from Ignis. "Very well then, I'll call Lord Amicitia and update them." Ignis retreated to a corner of the curtain-defined room before taking out Gladio's phone.

As Ignis called Gladio's dad, Prompto set out to work. He had already reached out to the store owner while Iggy had been looking for a computer. Apparently the Leville had already contacted them concerning the incident. They were already uploading all their footage for the hunters' use so adding Prompto to the mailing list was easy. So while they waited for it, Prompto made sure the laptop would be able to handle the work.

After installing some new software, Prompto received the notification he was waiting for. The footage and pictures were here! He glanced over at Ignis, still talking on the phone though a growing frown marred his features; then at Noctis who had slipped into bed beside Gladio, gently cuddling the big guy. Prompto smiled softly, he doubted Noct was asleep but he wasn't going to disturb either of them unless he found something important.

It took a few minutes for the mail to open properly, Prompto checking it for viruses or nasty surprises that might have been attached to the massive file. Finding nothing but raw footage and pictures, Prompto opened it and scrolled through the oh-so-carefully named files with annoyance. Who in Ifrit's name would name files as _camera 1- 020293478_ or _Bambi's view-2739264_?

Prompto groaned and shifted the data until he could see the timestamp on the footage, not that it would help much as most of the time and dates were obviously wrong, but it gave him a good idea of which camera had been on for the longest. He picked one with the longest run time and opened it. The interior of the shop appeared on the screen, soundless as the staff played with settings. Nope, not this one.

He patiently went through the files, closing all those that didn't show the street or the Leville in some part until he was left with about 60h of video and a few dozen of pictures. Prompto hummed to himself as he opened the video with the clearest view of the Leville and started watching, carefully forwarding the footage until he saw Gladio leaving the hotel for his morning run. He stopped and replayed the footage, trying to see if anyone had been following him as he left. Nothing and no one stood out.

He took a deep breath and moved the timestamp forward some more, as he waited to see the attack itself. Even knowing what was going to happen, the sight of Gladio's lower back becoming drenched in blood as he stumbled to his knees, shook Prompto and he had to stop for a minute. Ignis sat down beside him as Prompto pushed the laptop aside to catch his breath.

"Are you alright love?" Ignis asked softly, wrapping an arm around him and drawing him closer.

Prompto leaned into the hug. "Not really." He mumbled, "And I don't think I will be until we find the people responsible for this and make sure they can never hurt him, or anyone else, again." Ignis tightened his arm around Prompto silently. They would find them and then… Well, Ignis' position was unofficially known as the Sword of the King for a reason. Prompto was certain he'd enjoy watching Ignis put into action whatever plan of vengeance the man had already concocted.

They sat quietly, just watching Noctis cuddle with Gladio, for a while longer before Prompto sighed and grabbed the laptop once more. Time to find a target for Iggy. He rewound the footage a few seconds, slowed it down considerably then replayed it. Frowned, rewound it again and restarted. "That's odd." Prompto muttered as he grabbed footage from another angle and quickly found the same minute of footage.

"Indeed." Ignis said as he leaned in to watch with him. Prompto nodded as he quickly pulled several other angles, though many ended up unusable because of the growing crowd passing in front of the shop. "I think we should show this to Nyx before we proceed."

Prompto chuckled, "I think Pelna would be more helpful but I agree. Plus Luna and Ravus should have been seen by a doctor by now." Prompto closed the laptop and got up, they couldn't leave Noctis alone so he would have to go alone. "By the way, what did Gladio's dad have to say?" he asked as he slipped the laptop back in its case.

Ignis sighed, hand going to rub the bridge of his nose. "Not much; he is glad that Gladio is no longer in danger and has asked that he calls him when Gladio is awake enough to do so." Prompto waited a bit, feeling there was something unsaid but Ignis didn't offer any more information. He sighed and gave him a quick kiss before leaving.

Finding the way back to the suite proved a bit confusing with all the similar passages of the hospital, but he managed eventually. Libertus and Pelna were guarding the door, which helped. It was hard to miss the two Glaives when contrasted with the pastel colors surrounding them. "Pelna! Just the man I wanted to see!" Prompto said as he walked over.

"Prompto? What is it?" Pelna tilted his head as Prompto approached. "Is everything alright?"

Prompto nodded as he grabbed the laptop and flipped it towards Pelna. "Yup! The doctor dropped by a few minutes ago to tell us Gladio's going to be okay. But!... I need you to check this out and tell me what you think." Libertus reached out to slap Prompto's back in congratulations at the good news. Prompto grinned, but as he was about to start the video, he remembered to warn them about the content first. The grim but determined nod was comforting as Prompto pressed play.

Prompto knows the second Pelna sees it. His eyes widen and he leans closer to the screen, hands reaching out to fiddle with the video. Pelna watches the various clips with a growing furrow between his brows. Prompto catches Libertus glancing over as the minutes grow longer without anything being said.

Finally, Pelna straightens away from laptop clearly deep in thought. Prompto puts it away and waits for Pelna to tell him what he thinks. "I need to talk to Nyx and possibly get in touch with Luche." He said, glancing over to Libertus. The glaive nodded in return as he knocked on the door before opening it.

Prompto and Pelna walked in. Prompto stopped at the doorway and stared at Luna, lying in a bed with two IV bags draining into her veins. Ravus was scowling down at her exhausted form, arms crossed over a mostly nude chest. He had a bandage wrapped around part of his shoulder, a few specks of blood a bright contrast on the white lining. Prompto walked closer and asked, "What's going on?" He saw Pelna talking to Nyx from the corner of his eyes.

Ravus glanced over to him for a brief moment before returning his attention onto his sister. "What is going on, as you so aptly put it, is that Luna has been hiding just how sick she's been." His scowl grew worse as Luna rolled her eyes at her brother's words.

"It's not that bad. You are exaggerating Ravus." She said.

Ravus stared at her then said pointedly, with some of the heaviest sarcasm Prompto had ever heard, "You are right, renal failure isn't bad. What could go wrong with using a dialysis machine? And it's not like we have anything important to do at the moment." Luna's jaw dropped and even Prompto stared at the pissed-off prince.

Ravus didn't stop there. "It's not like you actually need your kidneys to function in order to live or anything. And I'm sure it's easy to find a matching donor should you require a transplant." His grip on his own arms had become so tight that Prompto knew Ravus would have bruises within a few minutes.

Luna's jaw dropped and Prompto quickly moved to keep things from escalating. He placed a hand comfortingly on Ravus' shoulder and said, "I get it. You're mad and worried about Luna right now. That's okay." He paused and considered his words. "But that anger isn't what she needs right now. So do you think you can wait until she's not in such bad health before lecturing her? I'll even help you!" The corner of Ravus' lips twitched at his offer and Prompto mentally whooped in celebration.

"Fine," Ravus told Prompto before turning to scowl at his sister again. "But I can't do this again, Luna. Do you understand?" The worry and fear was obvious to both Prompto and Luna.

Luna nodded slowly, "I'm sorry Ravus. I didn't mean to scare you in such a manner." Prompto nodded happily at the sight of the siblings reconciling. She turned to look at Prompto, "Any news about Gladio? How is he?" Prompto smiled as he caught them up on Gladio's current state.

Once he was done, Prompto looked over at Ravus and pointedly said, "What about you? How's your shoulder?" Ravus went to shrug then winced. Prompto sighed, "How bad is it?"

Luna spoke up from her bed, "The Scourge has grown from his shoulder towards his heart. They took some blood and a biopsy sample from the infected area to see if the vaccine would help him but they were worried about the unusual growth speed." Luna stopped with a sigh.

Ravus brought a hand up to brush against his bandaged shoulder lightly before dropping it back to his side. "There is little to be done until we get results; and at worst, I shall request they attempt to remove the arm."

Prompto frowned. That seemed like quite the jump to make even if getting rid of the arm might be of some help to his health. Prompto glanced at Crowe, Nyx and Pelna; all three of them talking together in the corner, before he said, "I could always try to help with the Scourge if the vaccine doesn't do anything."

Ravus shot Prompto a look that clearly said, _And who just lectured about taking care of oneself?_ But it was Luna that spoke, "Prompto dearest, that is not a good idea. For so many reasons." Prompto pouted, it's not like he was going to overdo it. Eating just a bit of Scourge wasn't enough to cause trouble... probably.

Pelna, Nyx and Crowe walked over, putting an end to the discussion. Nyx went straight to the point, "Commander, we've had a breach of the Kingsglaive research facilities. Someone used one of the facial scramblers to attack Gladio." Ravus tensed up at the news and motioned for Nyx to continue, "Luche isn't sure how Niflheim found out about it, but his last contact with the guardian was two weeks ago."

Prompto looked between Ravus and Nyx in confusion. "What research facility?" Ravus looked away at his question. "Ravus, what are you guys talking about?" Prompto crossed his arms as he tried to figure out what they were talking about.

Nyx looked at Ravus, then shrugged; it was a bit too late to hide something this important from the Kid anyways. "The Kingsglaive have had a research facility in Duscae for a few years now. Somewhere to test out new stuff without having to worry about it affecting the King or Insomnia tech by accident."

Prompto nodded slowly, "I see… and this facial scrambler?"

Pelna explained, "A necklace-like device that prevents most types of recording devices from capturing facial features. Just like you saw from the clips of Gladio's attacks, anything above the device for about half a meter becomes a white blur." Pelna scratched the back of his neck, "It was supposed to help when infiltrating Niff bases."

Ravus frowned deeply as he thought. Prompto knew that look and said, "Don't even think of it, Ray-Ray. You aren't in any state to do anything about this, and this is our fight. They hurt Gladio." He turned to the glaives and asked, "Where exactly in Duscae is it?"

When Prompto walked back into Gladio's room, it was to the welcomed sight of his boyfriend awake and sitting upright. Ignis and Noctis were flanking him as he carefully ate some breakfast. "Gladdy!" Prompto exclaimed, clambering over to hug him gently.

Gladio laughed as he returned the hug gingerly, "Hey Prom." Ignis and Noctis chuckled fondly as Prompto kissed Gladio. "Missed me that much, huh?" He teased as he leaned back against the pillows. His back was still a big sore spot.

Ignis returned the nearly-dropped breakfast into Gladio's hands before turning to Prompto with calculated curiosity. "Were you able to find something?" Prompto nodded and quickly outlined what the glaives had told him. He also let them know how Luna and Ravus were doing.

Noctis frowned pensively. "I don't like this at all. Not just that Niflheim found a facility that was kept so secret even from us but… The timing for what's happening is just too odd for it to be purely coincidental." He scowled as he crossed his arms.

Ignis agreed completely and so did Gladio and Prompto. There was something they were missing here and it was something too important to ignore. "I believe we may need to change our plans. Let us consult with the Marshall and Lord Amicitia."

Gladio groaned, "How long do you plan on calling Dad by his title, Iggy? You know he likes you."

Ignis readjusted his glasses but said nothing as he took out Gladio's phone and returned it to him. Prompto started and quickly fished Ignis' to do the same. Gladio pouted as Ignis refused to give him an answer but he selected his dad's number and called nonetheless.

"Ignis?"

"Wrong son." Gladio joked as his dad answered hesitantly. Ignis choked on his saliva, a deep blush covering his cheeks and ears.

"Gladio! How are you? What happened? Do you need me to come over?" Clarus asked rapidly, relief and worry battling in his tone.

Gladio laughed as he spent the next few minutes reassuring his dad he was okay before asking, "Is Cor around? We got news about Luna and Ravus." They had to wait a bit before Cor could join them but once the Marshall arrived Prompto repeated what he had told the guys not long before.

Cor hissed angrily, "Astrals be damned! And we were about ready to leave as well." Noctis shifted awkwardly beside Gladio. He was still unhappy with their plan. "But if Lunafreya's body cannot handle the strain of the Prophecy, then we need to get her to Altissia so she can finish her part in it as quickly as possible."

Noctis agreed with that wholeheartedly. "So what do you suggest?"

Clarus answered, "Our goals haven't changed, except that Lunafreya must make the journey as well." He paused, humming thoughtfully for several seconds. "Do you have any idea how long it will be before she is able to travel?"

Prompto shrugged, "Not really; you"ll have to call Ravus or Luna to get those details, but renal failure is pretty serious so at the very least I expect Luna to be in here for a couple of days."

"Umm… Our arrangements are only good for another day," said Cor, "we can't afford to wait any longer than that. Let's keep to our original plan for now. We will see if we need to make changes once we know more about Luna and Ravus health situation. The next thing we need to address is what happened with Gladio." Noctis felt Gladio tense up beside him.

"Yes Sir." Gladio said softly.

Cor said, "You let your guard down and almost died because of it. This was clearly a planned attack so I won't add more, but I suggest you think about your mistake. You are Noctis' Shield. You need to be aware of everything around you at all times." Gladio pressed his lips together tightly but he nodded with every phrase. He had screwed up, feeling safe within Lestallum, and paid the price for his failure.

"I understand, Sir. It won't happen again." Gladio declared, reaching out to grip Noctis' hand in his own and giving it a tight squeeze. He wouldn't allow something to happen to him. He looked around to the others, he wouldn't allow any of them to be hurt like he had.

Clarus said proudly, "I know you won't, Gladiolus. For now just rest until you're cleared to leave. Ignis?"

"Sir?" Ignis replied, straightening.

"What do you plan on doing with the information Prompto found?" Clarus asked.

Ignis folded his hands on his lap as he considered how to answer. "I believe we should move quickly to find the person behind this attack, and whether this was a part of something bigger. As such, Prompto and I will be going to the Kingsglaive Research Facility to see what we can find there. I will be asking that Crowe and Pelna accompany us as back-up. Noctis will remain here with the others until our return." He waited, worry nibbling at the edge of his mind, for the Marshall's and Lord Amicitia's thoughts.

Noctis and Gladio both started at the news. They hadn't known about this! Before either could speak, Cor did. "Very well. As long as Noctis stays with a glaive at all times until Gladiolus is back on his feet, then you may go ahead." He ignored Noctis' cry of protestation. There was little else to discuss and the call ended soon after.

Ignis sighed and turned to face the irate duo. Noctis glared at him, "When were you planning on telling us about this plan of yours, Specs?" Gladio nodded firmly, giving the adviser a stern glare.

"Now, of course. What exactly is the problem with this plan?" Ignis said.

Gladio replied, "You going after the person responsible for putting me in the hospital without me is the problem." Prompto shared a smile with Ignis at the expected answer.

Ignis leaned forward, patting Gladio's hand comfortingly. "We shall be fine dearest. You need only concern yourself with healing properly. I promise you and Noctis that we will not be taking any undue chances."

Noctis was still glaring at him though and said, "Why the hell are you leaving me behind then? I'm not hurt and I want to get back at the bastard responsible for hurting Gladio just as much as you do!"

"And if this is part of a larger plan, it is very likely that you are a target. It would be better for you to remain here with Gladio, Lunafreya, Ravus and the others. Perhaps you could ensure they take proper care of themselves while myself and Prompto are away?" Prompto couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him at that even as Gladio protested the need for a nanny.

An hour later saw Gladio being transferred to the private suite he would share with Luna and Ravus, all three of them admitted into the hospital for further care and observation. Noctis wasn't very happy as he watched Ignis, Prompto, Crowe and Pelna walk away.

"They'll be fine." Ravus said as he came up behind him. Noctis nodded absentmindedly as he leaned against the window. "Come on, Noctis," Ravus clasped his shoulder, "Help me bug Luna into taking all her gross medicine without complaining?" Noctis' lips twitched into a smile as he allowed himself to be lead away from the sight of his lovers leaving.


	64. Chapter 64

Cor called Ravus at lunch and spoke for over an hour before Ravus returned to the suite. "They are leaving for Altissia tonight," Ravus told Noctis, Gladio, Nyx and Luna. "We won't be able to contact them for a few days, but Cor or Clarus will contact us when they can. They've asked that we start planning our next move." He looked pointedly at Noctis, Nyx and Luna.

Noctis groaned, folding his arms and burying his head in Gladio's legs. He ignored Gladio's huff of laughter in favor of concentrating on the hand rubbing his head gently. "What move? It's not like we can go anywhere until you, Luna and Gladio are healed up." There was no argument there from anyone and the day passed on without further mention of it.

Ignis called mid-afternoon, much to Noctis' and Gladio's delight. He wanted to know how Gladio, Luna and Ravus were doing before allowing the conversation to turn towards what they had found at the Research Facility. Noctis listened intently as Ignis described the place (a converted farmhouse that had been abandoned when the Wall had been moved back) and the situation they had found it in.

The Research Facility had been under the control of Niflheim soldiers. Retaking it had been easy enough; the number of soldiers was barely enough to cover the main entrances and could not hope to stand a chance between Prompto's sharpshooting skills, Ignis' masterful tactics, Crowe's magic and Pelna's infiltration skills. Once the building had been retaken, they had found the Kingsglaive left there to guard the facility - injured and malnourished, but alive.

The glaive had told them that a few days after his last contact with Luche, a group of apparent refugees had arrived seeking shelter for the night. The glaive had wanted to call for the local hunters to come give the refugees a lift to Lestallum; but before he could do so, the group had attacked him. Overpowered before he could react, the glaive had been forced to watch as the group ransacked the Research Facility with surprising focus.

Ignis reported that the glaive had no idea what the group had been looking for, but they seemed to know exactly where to look and how to get past all the security measures in place. Noctis saw the concerned look that passed between Nyx and Ravus at those words, filing it as something to ask about later before returning his attention to Ignis.

Ignis was fairly certain the soldiers had been called by this first group to cover their tracks, seeing as the glaive testified the group only left after Niflheim's arrival three days ago. "We've contacted the hunters in the area for assistance. Once they arrive, we will be following after this group." Ignis told them.

Noctis barely managed not to pout at this news. It meant Ignis and Prompto would be gone for a while longer. "Be careful," he said instead of asking them to come back. "It sounds like they were expecting trouble."

"We will be as careful and cautious as the situation requires," Ignis promised right before hanging up, but not before letting Ravus and Nyx know that Pelna had sent them something. Noctis is curious about this 'something' but the two older men leave Gladio's room too quickly to interrogate.

"Damn," Noct said as he snuggled with Gladio. He felt lost, like he was grasping at a puzzle that was missing several important pieces. He could only hope to find those missing pieces soon, before it was too late to discover the image hidden among the pieces.

Gladio stayed silent as Noctis stewed in his own thoughts. His back was incredibly sore from sitting in the wheelchair, but he refused to accept the painkillers the doctors and nurses offered him. He'd always hated the woozy feeling they gave him. He turned to Lunafreya. "So… How would the ritual to wake Leviathan work in Altissia?"

Luna smiled, shifting slowly to sit straighter as she contemplated how to answer. "Well, Accordo has always worshipped the Hydraean since it was first created. Most cities have an altar to Leviathan. As the capital of Accordo, Altissia has a very elaborate altar dedicated to the Hydraean that is used for holiday celebrations."

"I was planning on using the altar as the spot for the ritual." Luna paused. "There is the problem that Leviathan hates humankind since… Well, I believe it originated during the Astral War but regardless, she does not look kindly upon any who wake her without considerable gifts and appeasements."

Gladio chuckled, nudging Noctis teasingly as he said, "Sounds like you when you don't get your beauty sleep." The pout Noctis turned on him was adorable and Gladio ignored his aching back to kiss his lover. Luna's laughter just made the kiss sweeter.

Noctis gave Gladio a smile before he moved away, going to sit beside Luna on her bed. The IV's had increased in number over the course of the day, as results from tests were returned and measures taken to help the Oracle recover. Noctis was quite careful not to disturb any of these as he sat down and gently took her hand. "So what kind of offerings should we get for her? Is it fish? Because if it is then I can go fishing as soon as everyone gets back!"

His words made them both laugh. Noctis was almost certain he heard Libertus snort too, and he nodded to himself with satisfaction. Luna shook her head as she laughed, "Dear Noctis, I fear you would only offend her with such an offering of her favorite beings." She carefully moved her other hand, just as riddled with IVs as the other, to pat his gently. "Her favored offerings are flowers, the rarer and more colorful the better."

Gladio grinned, shifting slightly to try and find a more comfortable position for his back, "Is that why Altissia has so many flowers hanging from every bridge and balcony? As offerings for the Hydraean?" He meant it teasingly but the firm, serious nod from Luna told him that it wasn't something to take lightly. His grin dropped and he said, "She hates humans that much?" Luna nodded again. That did not bode well for any attempts at a covenant with her.

A knock on the door prevented the discussion from continuing as Libertus opened it and entered with Ravus and Nyx. Noctis grabbed the opportunity to change subject by asking, "So what did Pelna send you two?"

Ravus ignored his question with the exasperated air of an experienced older brother and grabbed a chair. Noctis reached out to poke him, only to discover Ravus was just out of reach for an effective poke. He scowled at the older prince and attempted his question again, "Dearest Ravus, would it behoove you to share with us what information Sir Pelna was able to send you earlier?" He ignored the muffled laughter and chuckles of the others at his lofty tone and words. It was an old game between them that was well known among the Kingsglaive and Crownsguard.

Ravus' lip twitched but otherwise his face remained impassive. Noctis sighed and changed targets, turning to face Nyx with a glint in his eyes. "Nyx?" The glaive captain shook his head with a bemused smile. Noctis frowned, glancing between the two and pondering why they wouldn't allow him to view the information. After a few minutes of thinking about it, Noctis sighed and decided it wasn't worth the trouble. Ignis and Prompto would tell him when they returned.

The rest of the day was spent playing games, watching Luna and Gladio sleep, and talking about various things. Ravus hadn't received any results concerning his arm but the doctors had decided to start him on a vaccination regime while they waited. Night fell and Noctis found himself lying awake, listening to Gladio breathe deeply beside him.

He wasn't sure what was keeping him awake this time. Maybe it was his worry for Ignis and Prompto. Maybe it was being in a hospital again. Maybe it was just the fact that the hospital beds were too small to allow him to cuddle with his teddy bear boyfriend like he was used to. Noctis sighed and got up.

He made his way to the window and looked out onto the illuminated streets of Lestallum, with the power plant's red glow visible on the backdrop of the mountain. Noctis leaned against the cold glass, crossing his arms as he peered through it into the night. He allowed his thoughts to roam free, acknowledging them as they arrived to the forefront of his consciousness but unwilling to entertain them more than a few seconds otherwise.

It had been almost two months since the attack on Insomnia. Two months since Niflheim broke their word and invaded Lucis once again. Two months since he had believed his dad was dead along with so many others. It felt like a lifetime ago and yet like it had passed by so fast at the same time.

Noctis wondered what had happened to the imperial princess he had been supposed to marry. He had never heard of Servia Aldercapt before her introduction by Niflheim negotiators into the treaty. In light of the attack on Insomnia, Noctis wondered if she had even existed in the first place.

Notis blinked suddenly. Something had changed. He drew himself straight, uncrossing his arms as he stared at the view in search of that something. It was all too easy to spot. The power plant had gone dark and the rest of Lestallum's lights seemed to be slowly dimming as well. A shiver ran up his spine as he swiftly headed towards the main area of the suite.

Nyx and Libertus slept there, in the perfect area to protect everyone should it be needed. Noctis didn't bother to keep quiet as he entered. "The power plant is down. Lestallum is losing power." The daemons might not be as naturally occurring as they used to be but Niflheim still used them as shock troops. Noctis had a feeling that they might be facing such a force now.

The two Glaives were on their feet and ready to fight before Noctis was done talking. Nyx ordered, "Libs, get the word out to the hospital staff. Noctis, go wake up Ravus." Both men nodded and moved as directed. Noctis headed for the room Ravus shared with Luna.

Ravus was already up and half dressed by the time Noct entered, his eyes sharp and letting him know he'd heard part of the news already. Noctis brought him up to speed while helping him dress, casting one look at Luna before they swept out of the room quietly. Nyx was by the window, keeping watch as Lestallum grew darker section by section.

Ravus swore under his breath, whipping out his phone to make a call. Noctis stood by listening as Ravus demanded to know what was going on from whomever had answered. By the time Libertus had returned, Ravus was hanging up with an annoyed groan.

"Daemons have appeared in the reactor of the power plant," Ravus told them grimly. "They were able to evacuate the workers, but they had to shut down the reactor to prevent overheating."

Nyx hissed, "Shit, if they've appeared in the reactor then it's just a matter of time for them to spread out into the city itself." He motioned towards the dark city streets. The hospital still seemed to have light, unsurprisingly as it had its own generator.

Libertus quickly confirmed that. "The hospital as well as the University and the main community center all have their own power generator. The local hunters assigned to the watch should already be heading over to ensure the places stay safe. The staff I talked with said there's an evacuation plan in place for events like these." Most likely a plan that predated the creation of the Cure but it was better than nothing.

Noctis turned to pin Ravus down with his stare. "Let's not waste time then. Libertus, Nyx and I can go to the power plant and clear it so the workers can restart the reactor and return the power and light to the city before anyone gets hurt." He was expecting the hissed protests from the three men.

"No!" "Noctis, do not be reckless." "Not happening, Princeling."

Noctis glared at them, undisturbed by their disapproval. "My people are in danger. I can't simply sit here and do nothing when I am perfectly capable of fighting a few daemons." He raised a hand to kept Ravus from interrupting him and continued. "Libertus and Nyx have been standing guard most of the day and are tired." He ignored their attempts to protest that obvious fact.

"As for you Ray-Ray," Noctis poked Ravus gently just under his bandaged shoulder, "you aren't in any shape to be fighting right now." He grinned and shrugged, "Plus someone had to stay here to watch over Luna and Gladio, and you're a better tactician than me so you'll do more good helping coordinate the evacuation, and containment should it come to that." Ravus shifted from side to side, glancing between the dark window and Noctis' confident demeanor. The small nod he finally got from the older man was quite satisfying.

Ravus turned to his two Glaives, "You two stay by his side no matter what, understood?" Nyx and Libertus both straightened, placed their hand over their heart and bowed towards their worried commander. Noctis gave his own nod of acknowledgement before hurrying out of the room, the two Glaives following closely behind.

They swept out of the hospital grounds and into the dark city streets quickly, passing by families who were beginning to take shelter within the lighted grounds. Nyx motioned for Libs to stay with the prince as he moved to scout the way. Their pace slowed down as they found themselves enveloped by near complete darkness. Noctis clipped his flashlight on his belt and handed Gladio's to Libertus.

"Doesn't look like the daemons have gotten out of the power plant yet," muttered Libertus as he scanned the darkness for any sign of unusual movement. The streets they were using were mostly empty; a blessing as it allowed them to move quickly. They found Nyx talking with a tall lady dressed in plant worker clothes as well as a man in hunter's garb.

Nyx motioned for them to join him as soon as they were spotted. "This is Holly. She runs the power plant." Nyx introduced without delay. "And that is Kain, head of Lestallum's hunters. I told them our plan and they've agreed to help, but…"

"You boys can't go into the plant without the protective gear, and most of what'll fit you is inside the first set of doors. With a bunch of daemons." Holly interrupted, motioning towards the barred set of doors, fully illuminated by a set of strong lights powered by generators.

Kain nodded. "We tried going in ourselves, but the daemons in there are too strong for us. We're barely managing to keep them contained with the lights," he motioned to the said lights with his hand, "and they still manage to break out every few minutes." As though summoned by his words, a dark miasma started flowing from the cracks in the doors as loud thumps were heard from within.

Noctis nodded firmly. "Sir Kain, pull your men back to act as support." He summoned his sword and stepped forward, smiling internally as he heard Nyx and Libertus copying him on either side. "Lady Holly, a map of the inside of the power plant as well as the location where the daemons first appeared would be useful." The thumping got louder and he tightened his grip slightly on his sword.

The miasma grew thicker, slowly blocking out the artificial light created by the lights. Nyx shifted beside Noctis and whispered, "Magic first then we warp in. Libs will cover our backs." Noctis nodded, flicking his free hand to grab a lightning flask. He showed it to Nyx, who nodded, before shifting for better balance.

Deep breath. The miasma blocked any sight of the doors. Silence. The roars of several different daemons filled the air as the doors were thrown open and the miasma scattered by its movement. Noctis threw his flask. Nyx and Libertus channeled his magic.

Lightning blinded them all.


	65. Chapter 65

Maybe using lightning wasn't the best choice, Noctis realized as he picked himself up from the ground. He might have forgotten that lightning was very similar to electricity and that he was fighting in front of a power plant. A building made to harness and channel said electricity into something to be used by humans throughout Lucis.

"You alright?" Asked Libertus, glancing back at the prince even as he maintained the shield he'd quickly summoned for protection. Noctis nodded grimly as he resummoned his sword and chose a target. Nyx was already flitting around, glittering blue marking his location as he warped from daemon to daemon, focusing on containing rather than killing them. The hunters were doing their part, striking down the injured daemons from a safe distance.

Noctis smiled and moved to join the fray. The daemons that had emerged from the power plant were oddly varied, ranging from goblins to a few necromancers and even a tonberry. Noctis warped. His sword pinning an arachne to the ground for Nyx to kill. "We need to take down the stronger daemons first!" Nyx shouted at Noctis before warping to strike down a necromancer aiming at one of the still functioning lights.

Noctis agreed. The smaller daemons were weak enough for the gathered hunters to manage. If any of the daemons had a chance to cause trouble it would be the stronger ones. Since Nyx was dealing with the necromancers, Noctis chose to deal with the hecteyes that were barely visible among a throng of goblins - best to take them out before anyone was inflicted by confusion.

He aimed to kill with each strike; knowing that without Prompto, Ignis or Gladio to watch his back, a prolonged battle would not go well for him. Noct winced as he realized just how much he'd come to count on his lovers to be there to cover his mistakes and weaknesses in a battle. He was going to have to ask Gladio for some more training.

The goblins were a nuisance as he plunged his lance through the blob-like body of the hecteyes. They scratched and tried to steal his potions and flasks, forcing Noctis to divert his attention to keep them from grabbing too much of his stuff. Luckily, he had plenty of experience dealing with the thieving daemons and managed with some help from the hunters.

Noctis caught Nyx and Libertus working together in small glances. They moved like a well-oiled hinge, precise movements complementing and completing each other with ease. It was breathtaking and it made Noctis miss his boyfriends all the more. He focused back on the fight just in time to notice the miasma condensation together near the door. "The lights! Turn them towards the miasma!"

Noctis didn't have time to see if they obeyed him as a reaper decided to make him its prey. A quick look around showed it to be among the last daemons remaining. Noctis rolled under its scythe, exchanged his lance for a gun and unloaded it in the reaper. It screeched horribly as it dissipated.

The hunters had listened to him, moving the functioning lights so the brighter-than-normal light bulbs could help dissipate the gathering miasma. Noctis watched as the last flicker of smoky darkness faded under the dual light-heat of the lamps before he relaxed enough to start checking for injuries. On himself, scratches and a few cuts but nothing worth worrying about right away. Nyx and Libertus both seemed to be in similarly uninjured states and none of the hunters appeared injured.

Holly walked up to the door and glanced inside, flashing a light around in search of something. "Well I'll be. Looks like that lightning stunt of yours was good for something after all." She said, motioning for Nyx, Libertus, Noctis and Kain to join her. "Seems like your lightning burnt out the lights and cleared out the daemons in here."

They followed her into the building, Nyx going in before Noctis and Libertus sticking close behind. Noctis hummed curiously as he stepped past the ruined doors into a equally ruined room. It looked like it had previously been some kind of locker or perhaps a changing room.

"Here!" Noctis recoiled as something orange and baggy was suddenly thrust into his arms. Holly gave the orange things to Nyx and Libertus as well, chuckling as she saw the confusion in their eyes. "Theses are the protection suits you need to wear once you get past the first blast wall," she explained.

Noctis grimaced as he unfolded the bulky suit, it was stained with unidentifiable liquids but it appeared to be in one piece. He glanced over at Nyx and Libertus, seeing them half-way into their own suits and sighed. Hopefully the inside of the suit was cleaner than the outside.

The headgear limited his sight considerably, but otherwise the suit didn't seem like it would get in the way of his fighting. Holly handed them a marked map of the power plant as she said, "Here is where the first report of daemons came from, and here is where the power plant main generators are." Noctis nodded as he slipped the map into his armiger once they examined it carefully.

Kain watched them get ready, "The hunters will cover the outside of the power plant while you three deal with the daemons inside. Let us know if you need anything." Noctis nodded, frowning as the helmet didn't translate the movement but Kain had already turned away to head back out.

The orange helmeted form that Noctis thought was Nyx clapped Noctis on his shoulder, "Let's get going." The voice was muffled but it was Nyx alright. Noctis motioned for the glaive to lead the way, following after him as they headed towards the first blast door.

A voice suddenly spoke up from within his helmet, "Forgot to tell you about the mics. You'll be able to talk with each other and us without having to shout." Holly quickly explained how to use the small microphones installed into the protection suits.

The large steel doors, plastered with warnings and blarings lights, greeted them at the end of the hall. "Here we go." Noctis muttered as he followed Holly's instructions on how to open the doors. He glanced at his companions, "Ready?" Nyx and Libertus both nodded. Noctis entered the proper command and stepped back.

"Caution! Generator unstable. Emergency shut down has completed. Caution! Generator unstable. Emergency shut down has been completed. Caution!..." The warning message started up as the door unlocked with a mechanical groan and opened slowly.

Fiery red light spilled through the door, not bright enough to harm daemons but more than enough to illuminate the power plants interior. Even within the protective suit, Noctis could feel the wall of hot air that slammed forth from within. "Let's go." Nyx said as he walked in.

The walkways hovered high above the generators, wide enough for the trio to walk together without worries. Noctis frowned as he looked around the power plant. He had expected to see lots of daemons considering the reports by Holly's workers and the way they had been attacked at the entrance. Instead, the power plant seemed empty.

"This is odd." Libertus said after a few minutes. "We should have seen a few daemons by now but the whole place looks empty. Something is wrong." Noctis couldn't help but agree. There was something wrong with this sudden disappearance of daemons.

Nyx clicked his tongue. "Let's check out the room Holly said the daemons first appeared. Maybe we'll find something that'll explain what's going on." They pressed forward, following Holly's instructions to make their way through the confusing labyrinth of catwalks.

Without the thrum of the generators making noise, the power plant was almost deadly silent. Their steps echoed among the chambers. Noctis felt shivers climbing up his spine as they got closer to the supposed source of the daemon infestation. Nyx suddenly dropped to a crouch, raising a hand to motion the others to do the same. "There's movement up ahead," he said.

Noctis looked towards their destination and saw what Nyx had. Flickering shadows cast by the fiery red glow of the generators moved further ahead. The shadows were vaguely humanoid, distorted by the multiple sources of lights but Noctis could tell that the one casting said shadows were not daemons. "They don't look like daemons to me."

Nyx agreed. "I think we may have found who caused the daemons to show up here. Now we just need to found out who they are and why." His kukris were in his hands with the barest of crystalline flashes. "They'll probably be wearing the same kind of suits as us, or something similar, so we should target those first. Libs, stay back a bit and be ready to use Shield. We can't let our own suits be destroyed." Libertus nodded his understanding.

Nyx motioned for them to stay where they were before he warped over to a walkway overhead. Noctis and Libertus watched as he warped, the movements quieter than walking on the metallic pathways. The shadow casters seemed unaware of Nyx's presence above them, their movements unchanged by his appearance on a walkway several feet above their approximate location.

Noctis kept an eye on the shadows movements, unwilling to miss any sign that they might be aware of Nyx's movements. He kept watch until Nyx's voice came through the microphone. "Definitely not daemons." Nyx said. "Looks like a dozen people all together, most are trying to do something with one of the machines. The rest appear to be standing guard but I don't think we'll have much trouble dealing with them. They're too relaxed to have had any formal training. Could be hunters though."

"Odd. Hopefully we'll be able to figure out who these people are once we get the power plant back up and running." Noctis said, gauging the distance between their position. He could warp the distance with little difficulty but he wasn't certain Libertus would be able to follow unless… "Libs, can you use Ramuh's blessing to move to Nyx quietly?" Libertus was quiet for a moment before he told Noctis he probably could.

With Nyx now keeping an eye on the odd group, Noctis warped his way to him. Once Noctis was safely by Nyx's side, Libertus joined them. The group kept on working below them, unaware of the threat hanging over their head until it was too late. Noctis, Nyx and Libertus made short work of the lookouts, warping in to knock them out or incapacitate them before disappearing back into the overhanging shadows.

Noctis barely suppressed a chuckle as he reappeared on a walkway and watched as the remainder of the group started to panic. It reminded him of Assassin's Creed with him as one of the famed assassin's, working to preserve peace and free will. Prompto was going to be so jealous when he learned of this. At Nyx's signal the three dove back in, each taking out another target, or two in Nyx's case, before warping away once again.

This time, the group caught on on what was happening. "It's the prince!" The shout brought about a strange reaction, one wholly unexpected by Noctis, Nyx or Libertus. Half of the remaining group straightened, pulling out a syringe of black liquid from a pouch hanging by their waist and injected it into themselves. Shrieks of pain and anger filled the air as those same people were suddenly engulfed by thick black miasma.

Where had once stood 5 humans of unknown origin were now 5 daemons hissing angrily. They weren't the normal daemons Noct would have expected either. The naga, marilith, yojimbo, arachne and necromancer were staring in their direction, almost as if they knew exactly where they were. Noctis swallowed back bile. How could this be? These people had injected themselves willingly with Scourge? Why?

"Noctis!" Libertus was suddenly by his side, jerking him away from his thoughts. "We need to move!" Noctis scrambled to his feet but before they could move to another location, one further away from the strange group, the arachnee and necromancer decided to climb up.

Noctis swore. It appeared they wouldn't be allowed to leave so easily. He tensed in preparation of the fight but as the arachne climbed up the railing to block the walkway in front of Libertus and the necromancer hovered in front of Noctis; both daemons kept their distance without attacking. Noctis felt Libertus tense up against his back, both unsure what to do.

Nyx made the decision for them. In an impressive series of closely linked warps, Nyx struck both of the daemons several times before rolling to a stop beside the prince. The arachne shrieked in pain as half its leg joints were slashed, forcing it down unto its belly. The necromancer couldn't avoid Nyx's precise strikes and collapsed in a puddle of black miasma. "Run! Now!"

Noctis didn't hesitate as Nyx shoved him forward. He ran, ignoring the disorientating echo of his own footsteps, forwards as he followed Libertus' orange back. Shrieks and shouts followed their movements through the power plant, several walkways below them but keeping pace with them.

"Ifrit's…! The walkway is about to end! We need to get off or we'll be stuck!" Libertus suddenly said. Noctis hissed under his breath as he tried to scan the area for another place to warp over. The helmet narrowed his view, rendering the endeavor twice as hard as expected. It became impossible when the walkway suddenly started trembling violently, sending Noctis skidding to the gridded floor.

The walkway trembled once more before a frightening groan came from the very metal under their feets. Noctis' eyes widened as the walkway tilted. "Shit!" The walkway suddenly dropped from under him. His movements were instinctual, engine blade materializing in his hand and thrown away within seconds as he fell.

The sudden stop was jarring but he was grateful not to be falling any longer. A quick look around showed him Nyx and Libertus were also safe. Noctis looked down, the daemons were below them with some of the still human group. The yojimbo seemed ready to attack again and the skittering sound of spider legs was approaching from every direction. The arachne had summoned its tarantulas.

"Holly? Does the power plant have any safe rooms that have strong enough lights to destroy daemons?" Libertus asked as they hung from various support beams.

It took a few seconds before they heard a response, the sound crackling with static. "Not a safe room per say but we do have a section of the power plant that has sun replicating lights for workers needing it. It's section L3 on the map I gave you boys." Noctis tried to recall the map in his mind but he didn't even know where they were anymore.

Libertus thanked Holly then quickly told them what he had in mind. Nyx started laughing even as he swung himself to the top of the steel beam he'd been hanging from. Noctis himself grinned. Libertus' plan was a good one… _swish!_ Noctis warped out of the way of the yojimbo's attack. But they were going to have to move fast because they wouldn't be able to keep running for much longer.


	66. Chapter 66

Nyx lead the way as they kept a careful distance from their daemonic pursuers. Noctis glanced over his shoulder, seeing Libertus block the walkway with one of the largest shield spells he'd seen as the necromancer attempted to attack them again. Their destination wasn't much farther ahead but Noctis noticed Libertus stumbled more and more often, especially after using his magic. His own breathing was growing ragged and his suit was growing uncomfortably warm. They were running on fumes.

"Here!" Nyx shouted as he jumped over the railing. He dropped to the ground floor, shifting out of the way of the naga's tail as it swiped at him. Noctis jumped onto its back; his sword pierced the tail and pinned it to the floor. Nyx flashed a grin before he disappeared into a warp, reappearing in the naga's face. His kukris carved deep furrows into the daemon's flesh, making it scream in pain. Libertus finished it off by burying his short swords into the top of its skull.

They jumped off and ran for the hallway, Nyx slamming the door as Libertus and Noctis threw themselves through it. Noctis winced as he heard the daemons slamming against the door. It wouldn't hold for very long. "We...need..to find...the switches." Noctis panted as he looked around.

The hallway wasn't very long but it opened to four different break rooms used by the power plant workers. The sun-replicating lights were installed directly into the ceiling of each room and could be activated by switches in said rooms plus one for the hall. Nyx kept the door closed as it shook violently. "You two go turn on the lights," he hissed as he brought up a shield on the other side of the door. It shattered all too quickly and he was forced to bring up another one, then another.

Noctis hurried to the nearest room, flicking on all the switches he found within until the room was filled with a soft buzzing noise that Holly had told them meant the sun-replicating lights were on. He rushed to the next one, doing the same in that room before getting back into the hallway. It too was buzzing softly now, Libertus standing beside a set of switches as he waited for Noctis to join him.

"Lights are on, Nyx!" Libertus said as he pushed Noctis away from the bulging door and behind him protectively. Nyx reacted by jumping away from the door and throwing a kukris over to them, warping just in time to avoid the charge of the marilith through the door. It had been expecting resistance and its own motion forced it halfway through the door before its torso became stuck in the narrow door.

Noctis helped steady Nyx as he reappeared by their side and watched as the marilith burned under the lights. Its screams were partly rage and partly pain as it writhed in place. Noctis couldn't tell if it was due to the pain or if it was an attempt to escape its self-imposed imprisonment. One thing could be determined: the lights installed for the workers were quite powerful, as the marilith died within a few miserable seconds.

As its corpse dissolved into black mist, the exhausted trio caught their breath and waited. Flashes of movement darted around the door but none of the other daemons attempted to enter the hallway. It ensured their safety, temporarily, but it meant the remainder of the daemons were free to roam the power plant. Noctis clicked his tongue; they would have to drag the daemons into the hallway just as Libertus had expected.

"Alright, we should try and grab the yojimbo first. After that, the arachne and finally the necromancer." Nyx said to the other two. Libertus grunted his assent and Noctis hummed as he called a pair of daggers to him. The protective suit grew heavier on his shoulders by the minute and his muscles burned with every movement.

They moved closer to the door leading out to the power plant, moving cautiously as they tried to get a good view on the yojimbo. The amount of lights in the hallway protected them but it also blinded them, preventing them from seeing what layed beyond the darkened doorway. Noctis frowned was it just him or… "Surrender. You have nowhere to run Prince… or should I say King Noctis?"

Someone grabbed Noctis by the back of his suit and tugged him behind them as Noctis swore. There were several moments of silence as the group outside appeared to wait for an answer before gunshots were heard. Nyx and Libertus raised their hands up towards the open doorway, the shimmering shield spell answered their call instantly as it covered the hallway from wall to wall, floor to ceiling.

The shield had been called up as a reaction to the first gunshot, a practiced one for the glaives but it meant the first few bullets were able to reach their target before the spell could appear. Noctis dropped to his knees, arms wrapping around the radiating pain emanating from his side and tried to keep himself from screaming. He was only half successful as Nyx shifted his focus away from maintaining the shield in order to break a potion over him while ordering, "Stay down!"

"Who in Ifrit's name are they?" Noctis asked as he pushed himself to his feet. He ignored Nyx's order, they couldn't afford to show any sign of weakness.

"Princeling…" Libertus said softly after glancing towards him. Noctis didn't understand the reason for his tone until he glanced down and saw the hole in the protective suit, surrounded by his own blood.

"Shit." Noctis said, suddenly remembering Holly's warning about the absolutely need to keep the protective suit intact. He hurried to search his memories in hopes of having seen another suit in one of the rooms they had searched. He couldn't remember if there had been any.

They didn't have time to worry about it as the hallway lights dimmed piece by piece as the bullets bounced off the shield, the floor or the wall to destroy the light fixtures. The necromancer flew in, shrieking as it slammed against the shield. Nyx and Libertus grunted under the attack. The shield flashed warningly in paler shades of blue as it weakened under the growing onslaught.

Noctis flung his arms up, grabbing control of the shield spell in its entirety. "I'll hold it! You two do something about the attacks!" Nyx and Libertus hesitated for a moment too long. "Go!" This time they moved. Attached to his magic as they were, the glaives could warp through the shield without trouble. The necromancer was dead before it even knew something had changed with one of Nyx's kukris crushing the top of its skull into dust.

Libertus, or at least Noctis assumed it was him, had a shield spread across the doorway. Noctis grinned as screams erupted from outside and the sound of gunshots stopped. Raised voices attempted to direct the group somehow but between the ringing in his ears from the gunshots and the screams, it was impossible to know exactly what was being said.

Noctis kept the shield up even as the two glaives disappeared out of the hallway. More screams from outside. One of the two re-appeared inside the hallway and dove into one of the still-lit rooms. Noctis worried about the other, knowing Nyx's endless recklessness and Libertus mile-wide protective streak but as the last two daemons scrambled through the door he had for cus his energy back into the shield. Noctis gritted his teeth as the yojimbo swung its sword down at him. The shield shuddered but held.

A shriek from the arachne called forth more of its spawned children, and Noctis double-checked that the shield didn't leave any hole for the tarantulas to crawl through. He was glad Prompto wasn't there because he would be freaking out. Noctis was slightly freaking out as the shield flashed again and he poured even more of his magic into it.

Lightning suddenly filled the hallway, arcing in a graceful dance between the two daemons and plunging the area in front of Noctis into darkness. Shrieks of pain were cut off by two smaller flashes of lightning as Nyx and Libertus struck down their targets, moving as though reflections of each other.

Silence reigned for all of two seconds before gunshots were heard once more. Nyx and Libertus disappeared from Noctis' sight; one in the tell-tale signature blue of a warp and the other simply fading from view. That explained why he hadn't seen two figures returning earlier.

Shouting erupted outside of the hallway, outside of his sight; Noctis pondered whether he should get closer to see what was going on. Before he could make a decision one way or another, the shouting stopped, replaced by muffled words he couldn't make out. Libertus walked through the hallway and motioned for Noctis to come over, "Come on over, Princeling. Let's learn who these guys are." In his hands were a orange protective suit.

Noctis dropped the shield, feeling the weight of its magic drain disappear from his chest as he headed over to Libs. He quickly changed into the new protective suit after checking it was intact then followed Libertus out of the hall. Nyx was whistling, oddly menacingly for such a cheery tune, as he stalked around a group of 4 surviving tied up orange blobs. Some of whom had bloody gashes ruining the protective effect of their suits.

"You doing alright?" Nyx asked as Noctis approached. Noctis nodded, his focus on the group in front of him as well as the pile of guns and syringes he saw piled up a few meters away. Some of the syringes were filled with the same black substance that had caused the daemonification they had witnessed. The others… "How did you get your hands on intact vaccines?" Noctis demanded after switching the microphone system from internal to external communication.

One of the tied up blobs straightened arrogantly and the same voice that had demanded Noctis' surrender was heard. "Pathetic. That is your first question after being nearly killed? No wonder Niflheim could so easily gain control of Insomnia when its supposed leaders are so weak minded." Noctis easily imagined the sneer behind the protective helmet.

Nyx and Libertus growled at this insult towards their prince and friend. "And you think a Niff dog like you has any right to judge our King and Prince?" Libertus started to advance towards the orange blob.

"Niff?" Sputtered said blob. "How dare you! We are more Lucian than some over-coddled Insomnians!" The outburst outraged Libertus and Nyx but for a whole other reason now. Noctis frowned as he considered what to do.

Noctis switched his microphone back to internal communications. "Nyx, do you think you can stay here and keep them under control for a while longer?" He motioned towards the tied up group.

"Sure but what are you planning?" Nyx said, glancing towards the prince.

Noctis shrugged, knowing the movement could be seen through the suit. "We're going to finish what we came here to do. Make sure there aren't any daemons remaining in the generator room and get Holly in to restart the power plant. We can deal with these guys after."

Nyx hesitated for a moment. "The commander isn't going to like that we split up." He sighed. "But you're right. Getting the power plant back up takes priority now that no one's trying to kill us." Noctis and Libs chuckled at his words. Noctis wandered back to the guns and syringes, and sent the pile into his armiger for safe keeping.

Libertus joined in as he straightened, slapped his back and said, "Ready to go?" Noctis nodded and they left Nyx to keep an eye on the tied up group.

The walk back to where they had first encountered the group proved quiet. They encountered no daemon or other attacker as they retraced their steps in a more leisurely fashion. Noctis winced as he saw the damage done to the walkways and beams from their run. Holly and her workers would have their work cut out for them.

There was no one inside the room as they approached it once more. Only the abandoned suits, clothing and syringes cluttered the floor among the dead bodies. Noctis hummed and asked, "Do you remember which machine they were tinkering with?" looking from one identical machine to the other.

"I think it was that one but.." Libertus moved closer to the machine he'd pointed out and looked at it closely. "It looks untouched."

Noctis sighed, "Alright, we'll leave it to Holly and her ladies to check them out."

"I hear ya loud and clear. We'll check everything before starting work back up." Holly replied when Noctis explained the situation. "If the power plant is clear, I can send some of my ladies in right now."

Noctis disagreed. "We can't be sure of that until the power is back up and the lights are back on. The lights can be used to check for any remaining daemon in the areas your workers need to be." He noticed Libertus kneeling beside one of the dead bodies and walked over. Holly dropped off the comm to get the initial team of her workers ready. Noctis leaned over Libs shoulder and asked, "What's up?"

Libertus hummed, "Found something odd on this person's body. See these scars?" He motioned to the series of oddly colored dots scattered on their forearm. "They look like puncture marks. Several dozen of them given by someone without training." Noctis frowned. Now that he looked more closely he could see what Libertus was talking about. Another odd thing to add to the growing number of oddities concerning this incident.

"Weird but it'll have to wait until we have time to sit down and properly interrogate our captives about all of this. let's get the generators back up and let Holly in before Nyx, and Ravus, get overly worried." Noctis said as he straightened.

It was easy enough to find the generators and follow the instructions Holly gave them as they restarted the power plant. Lights flickered back on almost immediately, a clear signal of their success and the two men hurried back to Nyx's side.

By then, Holly had managed to find several older protection suits for the hunters to use. Kain and the hunters arrived to take their captives into custody and to help with the clean up. Kain firmly told them to head back to the hospital and rest, a suggestion Noctis took to heart as he passed the suit over to another hunter waiting outside, watched Nyx and Libertus do the same before they returned to their friends.

Ravus, Lunafreya and Gladio were waiting for them. Gladio latched onto Noctis and demanded to know what in Titan's name he'd been thinking while Luna simply hugged Nyx and Libertus gratefully. Ravus demanded a full report of what had happened and received a mostly correct one. (Nyx, Libertus and Noctis not saying anything about separating for a while.)

As much as Noctis wanted to figure out who the group were and what had been their objective, it was near dawn and everyone was exhausted. With the lights back on and the threat of daemons dealt with, they all returned to their beds to try and get some semblance of rest. Gladio practically forced Noctis into the small hospital bed with him but with the comforting weight of his Shield's arms around him, Noctis slipped into restful sleep with surprising ease.

A/N: I'm going to be taking a bit of a hiatus during December. I have a few written gifts to do and some other IRL things that will make writing for this AU harder. Plus my muse is hard to wake up these days and I think taking a break will help in getting things back in gear. Thank you everyone who is reading, and leaving kudos and comments! Happy holidays!


	67. Chapter 67

When Noctis opened his eyes to bright sunlight and Ignis' disapproving look ™, he wasn't certain if he was still dreaming. "I know you are awake, Your Highness." Ifrit's balls , Ignis was angry. Noct knew better than to make his advisor wait when he was like that.

"Welcome back, Specs. Are you alright? Is Prompto? What about Crowe and Pelna?" Noctis tossed aside the hospital blankets as he welcomed his boyfriend back. Gladio was nowhere to be seen. Smart man, his Shield.

Ignis accepted the hug, squeezing Noctis tightly in his arms for a brief moment before stepping back. "Everyone is well. We arrived shortly after 9 and learned of last night's intruders from Sir Kain." At this, Ignis frowned deeply, the disapproving look returning to his face. "I believe you were asked to stay safe and not go chasing after trouble?"

Noctis winced. "I couldn't just ignore what was going on!" he replied, even as he grabbed the clothes Ignis handed to him and got dressed. "And I stayed with Nyx or Libertus at all times just like you asked. I didn't go looking for trouble, it just happened." He turned to look at Ignis, shoulders slumped in expectation of a lecture. Instead, Noctis felt a warm hand drop on his shoulder and squeeze it gently.

"And for that, I am proud of you, Noctis." Ignis declared, a bright smile on his face. It disappeared quickly as Ignis added, "That doesn't not mean you should have gone in personally, but you did speak with Ravus and keep in contact with Sir Kain and Miss Holly. Well done." Noctis straightened at the unexpected praise. Ignis nodded at him once, "Now hurry on and finish getting dressed. We have much to discuss."

Gladio was sitting on one of the couches, Prompto snug in his arms. Crowe, Pelna, Nyx and Libertus were sitting at the table while Ravus and Luna shared another of the couches. Prompto perked up as Noctis and Ignis emerged from Gladio's hospital room. "Noct!" The smaller man wiggled out of Gladio's embrace, laughing at the loud protest it caused, to tackle-hug Noctis.

Noctis laughed as he returned the hug. "Prom! I missed you t…" He barely had time to speak before Prompto was kissing him soundly. Wolf-whistles echoed through the room as Prompto showed him just how much he'd missed Noctis.

Ravus cleared his throat after a while. "As enjoyable a view as this is, we do have things to discuss." Noctis detached himself from Prompto with a pout but Ravus had a point. Prompto tugged him over to sit with Gladio as Ignis dropped a plate of food on Noctis' lap.

Ignis dropped onto the opposite side of Gladio. "As I was saying, we were able to confirm that the person who attacked Gladio was part of the group Noctis, Libertus and Nyx intercepted last night. All of them belonged to a single _cult_." Ignis spat the last word out with absolute disgust.

"Now, now," Crowe said, "calling them a cult would be insulting to actual cults. They're a bunch of slightly better-connected idiots who, for some odd reason, believe daemons are the next step in human evolution."

Noctis' fork clanked against his plate as it slipped out of his fingers. "Wait. What?" He glanced between Ravus, Luna and Ignis but the grim and decidedly unamused expression they bore made it clear just how true Crowe's words were. Noctis had trouble wrapping his head around such a concept, much less imagining people willingly believing it to the point of self-sacrifice.

Gladio rubbed Noct's back. "It sounds unbelievable, but Ignis found their base and a slew of ideology stuff about the supposed superiority of daemons." Noctis frowned, that seemed like something he needed to deal with sooner rather than later.

Crowe seemed to have read his mind as she cackled and said, "Don't worry about it, Princeling. Pelna and Prompto took pictures of everything for the trials, then I got to do my thing and ruin their day on a more permanent basis." Her smirk was wild and wicked. Noctis shivered and firmly swore, once again, never to get on her bad side.

Noctis listened carefully as Pelna described the documents they found, with Ignis and Prompto adding details. The group was started by a small group of Niflheim scientists who decided daemons were more than just weapons; they were the future of humankind. They managed to 'recruit' people by offering the vaccine as a cure for the Scourge in extremely isolated regions of Tenebrae and Niflheim.

Through repeated, prolonged experiments, the group was able to create a new strain of the Scourge; one that did not rob the human host of their will or memories but rather kept them intact within the daemon's body. A vaccine for that specific strain of Scourge was then developed. One that allowed their 'followers' to change from human to daemon and back, at will.

Luna scowled. "Such exposure to the Scourge would have caused their identities to be eroded rather quickly. It may have been done intentionally in order to control them." The firm press of her lips together said even more than her words did.

Prompto shifted on Gladio's lap, an uncomfortable frown marring his face. "That sounds a bit too much like the MT-making process for my liking." He leaned against Gladio, hugging the larger man and sighing deeply against his neck as he added, "I'm glad we took care of them before they went any further." Noctis ran a hand soothingly along Prompto's back, nodding firmly as he did.

The room buzzed with muttered agreements until a knock on the door of the suite broke through the slightly awkward atmosphere. Ravus rose from his seat, motioning for the glaives to stay where they were, and opened the door. A pair of doctors stood there.

"Good afternoon. Mr. Nox Fleuret I presume?" Ravus nodded sharply. "We just finished reviewing all the test results and have some things to discuss with you and your sister. Is this a good time to do so?" the oldest of the doctors inquired cheerfully. Ravus didn't bother with a verbal answer as he stepped out of the way and closed the door behind them.

The younger doctor looked surprised to see so many people in the suite, his eyes darting towards his partner with unease written all over his body language. Noctis pinned him as a resident or a medical student. Maybe even a new nurse being shown around by a senior staff. The older doctor accepted the seat Nyx dropped in front of Luna without the slightest hesitation.

The doctor quickly ran through a basic set of questions aimed at both Nox Fleuret siblings; checking how they were feeling, that they were giving their permission for the information to be told in front of everyone, and such, before moving on to the reason for their visit. The doctor turned first to Luna with a smile. "Your test results were very encouraging, Ms. Nox Fleuret. By comparing the blood tests from your arrival with the ones taken this morning, we were able to determine the extent of the damage to your kidneys." The announcement had everyone tensing up, breath held in wait.

"The damage appears to be far less than we previously feared. You have responded exceptionally well to the medication and hydration treatments. As such you are no longer considered in kidney failure." Luna gave a deep sigh of relief as Ravus pulled her into a one-armed hug. Nyx and Libertus gave each other a high five while Crowe and Pelna laughed at the great news. The doctor smiled fondly and waited for the exuberant celebration to stop before continuing.

"As I was saying, you are no longer in kidney failure. However, your kidneys have sustained some damage. We believe your kidneys are functioning at around 40% of normal capacity - at this point we cannot say if it is permanent or not - and you will have to be extremely careful until we can ascertain the full extent of the injuries." The doctor handed Luna a pamphlet titled _**Kidney Injuries: What to Eat and What to Avoid**_ **.** "We will continue your current treatment for another 48h, after you will be free to leave the hospital if your results continue to demonstrate improvement and if you can guarantee proper nutritional supervision for the next month. Do you have any questions?"

Luna took the pamphlet almost reverently and shook her head. Ignis rose to his feet, as did Libertus; both men determined to take a look at the pamphlet to see what Lunafreya would need to eat to ensure her good health. The doctor waited patiently as the two self-appointed cooks of their group read through the pamphlet, a growing frown on each of their faces.

"Doctor, I do not believe this will suffice for Lady Lunafreya's needs." Ignis turned towards the doctor.

While Ignis might have attempted to remain calm as he sought more information, Libertus certainly didn't. "This is going to kill her before it helps her!" He said angrily. "She needs to eat way more than what this pamphlet says to just to keep herself from losing body mass."

The doctor nodded, seemingly unconcerned by these declarations. Ignis laid a hand on Libs' arm, "You appear to have already been aware of this problem with… the usual treatment for kidney injuries, Doctor."

"Indeed, I thought it might be an issue which is why one of the conditions for Ms. Nox Fleuret's release from the hospital is proper nutritional supervision. Am I correct in assuming you will both be ensuring this for her?" The doctor glanced between Ignis and Libertus.

"Yes!" "Of course." Both answers drew smiles from the rest of them.

The doctor nodded again. "Good." A appointment card was handed over with a pleased grin. "Here is the nutritionist that was given access to Ms. Nox Fleuret's medical files. She will be expecting you tomorrow morning, and will help you create a meal plan tailored to her needs. Is there anything else?" Ignis took the card with a thankful tilt of his head with Libertus still unhappy beside him.

Seeing that no one else seemed to have any questions or remarks about the treatment plan, the doctor shifted to look at Ravus. "As for you Mr. Nox Fleuret, I will let my colleague speak with you." The younger doctor jerked at this, shaking his head wildly from side to side. The doctor simply leaned back on the chair and waited. "Please be patient with him. He is more at home among machines and animals than humans."

The younger doctor wrung his hands together, eyes darting to Ravus' face then away over and over. He was clearly nervous and that made Noctis nervous. Did this mean Ravus wasn't doing well? Noct almost missed the elbow jab from Luna that caused Ravus to sigh and say, "You are not required to look at me if you would prefer. I will not hold it against you." The young doctor stopped wringing his hands, though he kept them clasped together. His shoulders relaxed by a fraction and his eyes finally settled on the floor.

"We may be able to create a strain-specific vaccine to contain the Scourge in your arm." Despite his nervous ticks and posture, the doctor's voice was calm and steady. "It would require some more biopsies and testing before we could be certain. But there is a 83% chance of success in containing the spread of your Scourge." Noctis beamed at the news. That was great!

Ravus nodded to himself. "I see. I appreciate your straight forward delivery of the news. How quickly could your team create the vaccine?"

The young doctor stood motionless and silent for several moments before answering Ravus. "If we begin the next series of biopsies within the hour, taking into account the average mistakes before success, my best estimate would be 36 hours before the first usable vaccine could be created. Worst estimate would be never."

Ravus nodded again. "Then let us proceed as quickly as possible." The younger doctor nodded too, and after a glance at the older doctor, left the room without another word.

The older doctor chuckled, "He'll be back within a few minutes I imagine, to do the biopsies." The doctor turned to Gladio, almost invisible beneath Noctis and Prompto. "As for Mr. Amicitia, I will take a look at your injury but your blood result came back negative for Scourge infection. If there is no other sign of infection, then you may leave the hospital today after your session with the physiotherapist." Gladio grinned and shooed his boyfriends off his lap. He'd be glad to get out of the hospital.

Gladio was cleared within minutes, a physio appointment set for an hour later. Ravus underwent the biopsy without trouble, Luna holding his good hand as Prompto kept Ravus' mind off the small operation. Noctis hummed as he watched the doctors, and the nurses that had arrived for the biopsy, leave.

"We have to celebrate!" He decided. "Luna is going to get out of the hospital soon. Ravus' Scourge is being dealt with. Gladio is all better and everyone is back together! Let's make plans to celebrate!" Noctis grinned, meeting the amused gaze from his friends and boyfriends.

Nyx chuckled. "I like the idea. Especially since we still have to wait for the Marshall before we can head out again." And just like that, Noctis' idea was put into place.

Ignis and Libertus decided the party would serve as a test run for Luna's new diet. They forbade any decisions concerning food or drinks to be made without their express consent as they started working with the hospital nutritionist. Prompto and Noctis took over decorating the Leville meeting hall with Gladio's help.

Crowe, Pelna and Nyx spent most of their time guarding Luna and Ravus at the hospital. They were the ones who received news from Holly and Kain. Apparently the aim of the attack on the power plant had been to replace several parts of the generator with faulty ones. Holly said that if the switch hadn't been noticed in time, the resulting explosion would have completely destroyed the power plant as well as part of Lestallum.

It would have left most of Lucis without any power for weeks, even months, before alternate powers sources could be put into place. Kain let them know the survivors of the cult had been imprisoned separately and a trial would be held to hold them accountable for their crimes.

When Luna was finally released from the hospital, they still hadn't heard from Cor or Clarus. Prompto and Gladio were more worried than Ignis and Noctis but they all agreed to try to contact either man the next day, if only to ensure they had arrived safely. For now, their time would be better spent enjoying the party together.

Ignis and Libertus had worked hard throughout the day to create several masterful dishes based on the diet Luna would be constrained to for at least a month. Each dish looked amazing and smelled even better. There was just one tiny little problem in Noctis' opinion.

"Why is there no meat?" Noctis whined as he darted from plate to plate in search of a veggie-free dish. He spotted Ignis, feeding Prompto some green curry from his own plate, and marched over. "Specs! Please tell me you have something else cooking that's edible."

Ignis grinned, his smile holding an edge of vicious satisfaction as he replied to the rude demand. "Now Noctis, everything on those plates is edible and quite delicious if I say so myself. If you don't find anything to your taste, then perhaps this is the perfect opportunity for you to expand your palate." Prompto chuckled at this, nodding enthusiastically as he ate another veggie-filled disaster that Ignis and Libertus called food.

Noctis stared at Ignis suspiciously. "This is my punishment, isn't it?" The small incline of Ignis' head made Noctis' shoulders slump in defeat. He would have to find a way to sneak in some other, more acceptable food at some point during the evening because Ignis seemed determined to punish him via vegetables.

The rest of the evening went well. Gladio challenged Ravus to a drinking contest that turned into a four-way match between them, Crowe and Pelna. Libertus was the only one who won any money off the bets as Pelna drank the other three under the table without flinching. Luna managed to win an arm wrestling match against Ignis. Prompto filled up his memory card twice over by the time they were able to drag him to bed, leaving the staff of the Leville to clean up their mess.

Ignis was still the first one to wake up the next morning. A pleasant buzz still hummed through his veins as he relished the warm press of his beloveds surrounding him. Nature called though and after that, his very small caffeine addiction reared its head. Ignis chuckled fondly as he got dressed in the previous day's clothes. It would do for the short walk to the hotel's coffee bar.

The advisor greeted the staff as he saw them. He was one of the few guests who took the stairs rather than the elevator but he enjoyed the exercise. Ignis opened the door to the lounge and froze. A red-haired man dressed in outlandish clothing sat at one of the seats, casually reading the newspaper. Ignis started to retreat.

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering when one of you would wake up." The man rose from his seat. "I am not Chancellor Izunia, so won't you come have a coffee with me?" The man, who statistically must be Ardyn Lucis Caelum if he truly wasn't Chancellor Izunia, gave a sweeping bow before indicating the coffee bar with one hand.

A/N: I'm back! Thank you for sticking around so patiently :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review for they feed my muse!


	68. Chapter 68

Ignis watched stiffly as Ardyn Lucis Caelum added a fifth spoonful of sugar into his cup. It was morbidly fascinating. Was the desire for excessively sweet things part of the Lucis Caelum's genetics? A fascinating question Ignis was tempted to bring up when they finally met up with Prompto's mother. For now, he settled on asking, "What business do you have with me?"

Ardyn smiled as he took a sip of the sweetened coffee. "Straight to the point I see." There was just the hint of a teasing pout, one that resemble the one Noctis turned on Ignis on more than one occasion. "A pity but I supposed I can't expect anything less from a Scientia serving the Crown." Ignis didn't react.

The pout was much more obvious this time, as was the exaggerated exasperated sigh. "Very well. I am aware that Marshall Leonis and Lord Amicitia have taken a few Crownsguards to Altissia in search of King Regis. I am also aware of the health problems that have plagued your little group recently." Ardyn paused and tilted his head magnanimously towards Ignis. "Very good job dealing with Irato and his little groupies. Izunia and I were both very impressed."

Ignis fought to keep his expression calm, taking a sip of his coffee before deciding to accept the compliment. "They needed to be dealt with. My...method seemed the most time-efficient and effective." Ardyn chuckled, almost fondly, from across the table.

"It certainly was. Izunia hadn't minded their little cult as it fit his plans, but I disliked them very much." Ardyn said. "Returning to the subject at hand; I am under the impression that you plan on finding a way into Altissia for the dual purposes of finding, and saving, King Regis; as well as allowing Lady Lunafreya to make a covenant with the Hydraean."

Ardyn paused, watching Ignis carefully as he finally made his point. "I would offer safe passage to Altissia to your group."

"In exchange for what?" demanded Ignis.

Ardyn smiled. "A private meeting with the Oracle will suffice."

Ignis bristled at the thought of offering something that wasn't his to offer. "I'm afraid I cannot give you an answer without discussing this with Her Ladyship and His Highness first." Ardyn inclined his head, indicating his acceptance of Ignis' statement. "With your leave then, I will go and discuss this with the appropriate people."

Ardyn rose from his seat, giving Ignis a bow similar to the one he had given when he'd introduced himself. "Of course. Please discuss this as long as you must; though I feel I should warn you that Izunia intends to further his own agenda during his visit to Altissia. You may want to arrive before he does."

The man straightened, plucking a hat from somewhere (his own armiger?) and placing it neatly on his head. He placed a single white calling card on the table, pushing it slightly towards Ignis. "For when you've made your decision. I'm afraid I will not be able to remain around for much longer. Do take care."

He swept out of the coffee lounge, leaving Ignis to debate the wisdom of following the Lucis Caelum in hopes of finding out more about him. Ignis grabbed the card from the table, shoved it into his pocket, and shot off after the man.

Ardyn Lucis Caelum was nowhere to be found. No one among the staff, even those staffing the front desk or the kitchen, could remember seeing a man matching his description. Ignis added theses details to the growing list of mysteries surrounding the Niflheim Chancellor and his supposed brother as he trudged back up to their room.

Gladio and Prompto were awake when Ignis opened the door. Gladio turned to greet him, his smile dropping into a deep frown as he saw the expression Ignis was wearing. "What happened? Are you okay?" Prompto peeked out of the bathroom as soon as he heard Gladio's words, water dripping off him. They both looked worried.

Ignis hummed, unsure how to explain the encounter he just had before settling on a simple explanation. "Ardyn Lucis Caelum paid me a visit while I was in the coffee lounge. We need to get everyone together to talk." Gladio nodded firmly, phone already out. Ignis felt part of his tension melt away as his friends stepped up to help, trusting him without asking further questions.

Ignis finished recounting his encounter with Ardyn and waited to hear what they all thought of the offer. Of course it only partly matched their intended plans, Lunafreya and the glaives were the only ones heading for Altissia after all; but it could prove a useful bait for the Empire. He was unsure as to why the man would want a private meeting with Lunafreya as payment for his help.

Ravus was, predictably, unhappy with the idea. "I do not like the idea of allowing a man who can appear and disappear at will to be alone with my sister. Especially without knowing why he wishes to do so." Nyx and Crowe were both nodding in agreement.

Prompto tapped his fingers restlessly against the chair back. "I don't think he means to hurt Luna. He hasn't hurt anyone yet and he definitely had the chance." Ignis and Gladio both winced at the reminder of the previous encounters Noctis and Prompto had with the man. Prompto's words rang true, though; Ardyn had not shown any sign of wishing them harm.

Luna straightened in her seat. "I will meet him."

"Luna!" hissed her brother. She ignored him with the practiced ease of a younger sister and met Noctis' gaze firmly.

"Do you recall the Prophecy?" Noctis nodded, frowning. Luna pressed her hands together. "The Chosen King must drive back the darkness that threatens Eos." She smiled wryly, "We already know that the price expected by Bahamut to accomplish this is quite debatable. But this darkness, the Starscourge, should have a core or a host upon which Noctis can focus his power when the time is right. At least, that is the sense we, the Oracles, have come to get from talking with the Astrals on the subject."

Noctis tilted his head, his frown becoming confusion as Luna finished talking. That confusion soon became something else as he straightened suddenly and said, "You think Ardyn might know where that core or host is."

Luna nodded and smiled. "You said the man was severely infected by Scourge but showed no outward sign of it, correct?" Noctis and Prompto both nodded. "Adding the fact that Niflheim has been using Scourge-infested magitek, daemons, and unusual Scourge-strains; I strongly believe that the core or host is in the possession of Niflheim, and Ardyn is regularly exposed to it. Whether he is aware of what it is… That I cannot say."

Noctis hummed thoughtfully and asked, "Do you think that's why they were after the Crystal so much? To help control this Scourge core." Luna shrugged delicately but didn't dismiss the possibility. Ravus didn't appear convinced by the reasoning but he raised no further objection as they discussed when and where to arrange for a meeting with Ardyn Lucis Caelum.

Ignis was the one to call the number on the card. It rang several times before going to voice mail. Ignis hesitated briefly before leaving a brief message. He made sure there was no way they could be identified by the message he left if it was heard by someone other than its intended recipient.

"Now what?" mused Prompto.

Nyx grinned. "We keep moving like we intended before this whole mess started."

Ignis hummed as he parked the Regalia in front of the lighthouse. Noctis argued about leaving Lestallum while they waited for news from Cor's group or Ardyn, but Cid had called to complain about how long they were making him wait for the Mythril. So much had happened over the last four days, Ignis knew the break while they waited for Cid to finish the repair would do them all good.

Hopefully by then they would have received news from Altissia and could move forward with a more concrete plan. A finger poked him, jerking him out of thoughts. "You alright Iggy?"

Prompto leaned across the center to check up on him. Noctis and Gladio were halfway to the house already.

Ignis shook himself mentally and reached out to kiss Prompto gently. "Just lost in thought, Sunshine. It has been a busy few days." Prompto smiled back, understanding, and squeezed his forearm softly. They both got out and hurried to catch up with Noctis and Gladio.

The next few hours were spent relaxing together once Noctis had handed over the Mythril to Cid and Cindy. The gruff old man had estimated the time to complete the repairs would allow the four of them to rest for another day or so. By then, Lunafreya would have hopefully met with Ardyn Lucis Caelum and they would know how the group would be brought into Altissia safely.

Ignis watched as Noctis, Prompto and Gladio played darts. His mind still whirled with thoughts and he felt like he had missed something. He replayed the day's events in his mind, trying to find what was bothering him. Ignis replayed the meeting with Ardyn but found nothing that would explain the unusual sense of unease he had.

Going over the meeting that followed or the drive up to Cape Caem did not help either. Ignis rose to grab another cup of coffee. Perhaps his unease came from an event from the previous days?

He reviewed the events that had happened since their arrival in Lestallum. The party with everyone. Gladio's stabbing. Learning about the Kingsglaives' Research Facility. Going to said facility to track down who hurt _their_ Shield. The compound nestled within the Ba…

"IFRIT'S BALLS ON A STICK!" Ignis slammed his hands against the counter, sending coffee spilling onto the ground. Gladio swore as his shot went wide. Prompto and Noctis both turned to stare at Ignis as the normally calm advisor continued to swear a storm.

"Specs?" Noctis asked hesitantly after watching for a few minutes. "What's wrong?"

Ignis wiped a hand over his face, still grumbling angrily. "The Royal Arms… Prompto and I saw what appeared to be a Tomb two days ago and yet I completely forgot about our mission to gather the Arms!" Noctis mouth formed a soft O as he too remembered the mission Cor had entrusted to them. One that they had mostly forgotten among the running and fighting.

Prompto groaned as he dropped cross-legged unto the floor. "Damn, I completely forgot. And Noct kinda needs them for the Prophecy right?" Ignis nodded grimly. "Do we even know where to find them? Cor said the Hunters would keep an eye out but we haven't heard anything from them. Not that we got around to asking." He sighed, scratching his head absentmindedly.

Gladio huffed as he yanked the dart out of the wall, wincing at the hole left behind. He turned to watch his three boyfriends worry about this little mishap and sighed. "So let's go ask them. Meldacio is barely a day's drive from here and we've got time to waste while Cid works." He smirked as the three turned to stare at him incredulously. Gladio shrugged, "We might as well go looking for the Arms and grab a few hunts while we're at it."

Noctis narrowed his eyes, half-turning towards Gladio as he accused, "You just want to go camping again." Gladio smiled widely, eyes shining with amusement at Noctis' accusation. He didn't deny any of it.

Ignis sighed, so much for some time to relax together. He could only hope the hunter had found a few locations and they were not anywhere too dangerous. Oh Shiva… Merciful goddess, please let it be so.

A/N: Ignis: That's it! I've got a new recipe!

*Ifrit's balls on a stick have been added to your recipe menu*


	69. Chapter 69

The hunters had found several possible tombs; the one Ignis, Prompto and the glaives had stumbled across notwithstanding. Four other confirmed tombs spread across the land meant days added to their schedule. There was nothing to do but thank Dave for the information and head out to the closest one.

"So who do you think would have built a Tomb in the middle of the Myrlwood?" asked Gladio as they eased back into the Regalia. Ignis heaved a heavy sigh; at least debating the question would keep them occupied until they arrived. They would follow the direction given to them, enter the Tomb, grab the Royal Arm and be on their way with minimal delays.

"Shit! How come the hunters didn't say anything about a Treant?" Gladio swore as he protected Noctis.

Ignis and Prompto drew the Treant away, allowing Gladio to help Noct back to his feet. They took the beast out quickly after that, though not without being covered in mud and marsh goo.

Prompto grimaced as he allowed his guns to disappear. "I need a shower. Or a bath… Can we stop and take a bath guys? Cuz I think we need one like yesterday." Gladio chuckled and shook his head as they followed Noctis to the Tomb.

The Tomb belonged to the famed Rogue Queen. "That does explain its remote location." Muttered Ignis sullenly as he tried to wiped some of the mud off of his companions. Noctis stepped forward and watched as the Queen's Shuriken emerged from her Tomb and flung itself at him.

The cold sensation of unfamiliar magic took a few seconds to dissipate and he exhaled as it faded. "Okay. Let's go." Noctis turned and walked out. Maybe if he moved quick enough, Ignis would not have time to talk them into washing up in the freezing river.

"Before that…" Shit! Too late.

The Tomb was just there; barely concealed by anything except the granaries and abandoned farms of the surroundings. Noctis grumbled under his breath as he walked to the doors and opened the Tomb. The Shield rose from its resting place and merged, just as the others had, with Noctis' armiger.

Gladio steadied Noctis for the brief seconds he needed it. "That's one hell of a shield… Think it's possible for me to borrow it sometime?" he muttered as Noctis straightened.

"Feel free to try whenever." Noctis said, getting on his toes to kiss Gladio briefly before sweeping out of the Tomb. Gladio chuckled; it sounded like a good challenge to pass the time.

"First a treant and now mandrakes? What next? A behemoth?" growled Gladio as they ran through the thicket.

Prompto squeaked, "Don't jinx it!", just as they stumbled upon the shieldshears.

"Wasps?" Prompto dropped into the cold, freezing water of the river to escape its stinger. "I told you not to jinx it!"

Noctis laughed as he warp-struck them down one by one, where Ignis and Gladio finished them. "Only you would think wasps are worse than a behemoth." He helped Prompto out of the river.

And then they found the Tomb. And the Bandersnatch claiming the area as its own. "Well, that may make this a tad more difficult than planned," muttered Ignis. He ignored the outraged looks that Noctis and Prompto shot him.

Noctis limped to the Tomb, groaning as he pushed one of the doors open. It took a few seconds before he managed to summon the strength to walk over to claim the Royal Arm. Noctis snorted as he learned who it was; for a pious ruler, his Tomb ended up with a not-so-humble guardian.

They slept off the exhaustion at the first haven they could find. Ignis even allowed Gladio to make cup noodles instead of cooking. Noct spoke a bit with Ravus, learning that a meeting between Luna and Ardyn had been planned for the next day. Ravus promised to call them once it was over. Still no news from the group in Altissia.

"What the -?" Noctis ran the last few steps separating him from the Tomb. There were no doors to open, just rubble spread within the Tomb itself. A quick look at the sarcophagus showed the Royal Arm to be missing. "Damn it. The Arm isn't here."

Ignis hummed thoughtfully. "Shall we reach out to the hunters and see if they could tell us what happened here?"

Noct ran a hand over his face, thought about it for a bit then shook his head. "Let's ask them to investigate, but we won't let it slow us down." He sighed. "Let's go grab the one you and Prompto saw in the mines, then head back to Cape Caem."

Getting past the ruins of Crowe's excellent work ended up being the easy part, thanks to Prompto's gravity well. Fighting the daemons that had risen from the remains of the cult, including a nasty aramusha and a volatile arachne, proved to be much more demanding.

"Ugg, ok. We definitely need to get production for the Cure up and running ASAP," Noctis said as he caught his breath while watching the remains of the daemons disintegrate. "Remind me to ask Lance how that's going once we get a signal again, will you Prom?" Prompto replied with a tired thumbs-up.

Bow claimed shortly after, the four men rose back to the surface with a sigh of relief. Prompto wasted no time to remind Noct about his request.

Ravus called Prompto while Noctis talked with Lance. The private meeting between Ardyn and Luna was done. Luna refused to tell him anything about it, insisting she needed to talk with Noctis first. They were packing up and heading to Cape Caem right away. The promised safe passage was the gift of an imperial ship with a private crew waiting at Galdin Quay, with orders to bring them anywhere they wished to go without questions.

Ignis wasn't the only one who was happy to be back at Cape Caem. Gladio barely waited for the Regalia to come to a stop before he bolted into the house and locked himself into the bathroom. Prompto and Noctis laughed as they helped Ignis get their stuff out of the Regalia to be cleaned properly.

They weren't the only ones there. Luna, Ravus and Pelna were sitting with Cid. Cid welcomed them with a gruff "About time you boys got back. The boat's all ready for ya whenever." The old member of King Regis' retinue finished his drink in a single go before leaving the room.

Luna rose to greet Noctis, Prompto and Ignis. She looked much better than previously; she was less pale, and moved with more energy. "Welcome back. How did your hunt for the Royal Arms go?"

Noctis grinned and summoned the ghostly presence of the Royal Arms. Seven blue crystalline arms danced around him for several seconds before disappearing.

"Impressive. Is that all of them?" Ravus asked. Noctis shrugged.

Ignis was the one who replied, "We cannot be certain without access to the Citadel's records, but we checked all the ones the hunters found for us."

Prompt and Noctis recounted the last two days of Royal Arms-hunting to Luna, Ravus and Pelna while they each took their turn cleaning up. Nyx, Crowe and Libertus showed up while Prompto showered. By the time Prompto came out, smelling like roses, Noctis and Luna had left to talk privately.

Noct walked beside Luna towards the lighthouse. He stayed silent until she was ready to talk. Once she did, Noct simply listened for the longest time. Luna had much to say about her meeting with Ardyn Lucis Caelum.

The meeting had been in the Leville. Luna had not known what to expect from the supposed-brother of the Chancellor of Niflheim. The man turned out to be quirky but pleasant. Extremely ill with Scourge but it appeared to have been absorbed by the magic under his command rather than the contrary.

Luna knew why too. It was the reason why Luna had to talk with Noctis alone. Ardyn Lucis Caelum had told her a tale about the Prophecy, one she had never heard before but that resonated with glimmers of truth. It was a tale of tragedy and betrayal, by blood and Astral alike. A tale of a Chosen King, a healer chosen for his piety and dedication to his fellow humans.

The King was told he would be the one to heal the Blight from Eos by healing those afflicted with Ifrit's Curse. He and his companions set out to do just that, traveling throughout the known lands and healing all those who required it. The King's gift came at a price, his own health for that of his people.

It was a price the King was willing to pay until one night when his companions were attacked by a daemon like none they had ever faced before. As his companions fell before the daemon's attacks, the King found his strength lacking. In desperation, the King used his gift on the daemon itself.

It worked. The King destroyed the daemon and saved his companions. To his amazement, his health returned soon afterwards. He did not mention it to his companions; his returned health attributed to the Astrals blessing his defeat of the daemon. He returned to healing his people and to feeling his life slip away with every life he saved.

When he grew weaker again, he left his companions at an inn one night, giving a vague excuse to be left alone for a few hours. The King went hunting for daemons. He found none as strong as the first one he slayed with his sacred gift; but by the time the tenth daemon disintegrated under his light, his health had, once again, returned.

The Chosen King continued to heal and hunt daemons to replenish his health until the day came for his Ascension. The King returned to his home, triumphant and acclaimed by all. Venerated far and wide, the King climbed the stairs leading to the Temple of Bahamut. His brother, the High Priest of Bahamut, awaited within.

There, the Chosen King held the Ascension Ritual of old. There, the Chosen King was cast out by those who once foretold his Ascension. There, the once-Chosen was burned by the Light that had blessed him with its gift before being cast into the deepest dungeons of his own home.

His own brother condemned him to die a slow death in repentance for his crimes against the Astrals. The Astrals took back their blessings and claimed he had never been chosen in the first place. The once-Chosen King died from starvation only to be reborn as a daemon, born of Scourge and hatred for all that lived and once venerated him.

Luna finished recounting the story as they watched the waves along the coast. Noctis watched a rock disappear under the water before reappearing time and time again. "Is that when the Prophecy we know came into being?" He watched Luna from the corner of his eyes.

"So it would appear." She paused, "I…I have never heard this story before or that a prophecy existed before the one which we now know."

"But you believe what Ardyn said? That it was true?" Noctis asked, shifting to bump shoulders with her. She nodded firmly. Noctis hummed, "So the first Chosen King used his healing to stay healthy so he could help more people. Doing that angered the Astrals and they decided that he was no longer fit to do what they wanted?" Another nod from Luna.

"I wonder if it was all the Astrals or just a few?" Noctis watched the clouds pass overhead as he started to think out loud. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was just Bahamut being an ass again. Then there is the core… It's the daemon the previous Chosen King transformed in, isn't it?"

"Most likely." Luna sighed, resting her forehead against the railing. "The Scourge reacts to the emotions of the host in most cases. It's how the different transformations happen, because of the emotional state of those infected during the final moments of the infection." She crossed her arms and turned her head to look at Noctis. "I'm working under the assumption the first Chosen King was given powers similar to that of the Oracle but if that is true… Then by using the healing power to destroy instead of heal, it might have cause a fracturing of his mind."

"Fracturing?" Noctis frowned, unsure of what Luna meant.

The Princess of Tenebrae nodded. "Powers devoted to healing others should not be used for any other purposes. To do so is to risk the power turning on its user, causing significant mental and physical harm. The most common effect seen in the past has been the development of mental illnesses such as dementia, depression, severe dissociation, PTSD and even Dissociative Identity Disorder."

Noctis' mouth opened in a silent "ah" of understanding. Any one of those could cause a lot of trouble even in these days, where they had years of research, therapy and medication to help manage the symptoms. To have any such thing in the distant past would have more than enough to lock someone away, no matter what their status previously.

He glanced at Luna. "Ravus is aware of this particular restriction?" Luna giggled and smiled. Noctis shook his head at her. "I wouldn't have known about that unless you had told me so…" He wasn't sure how to explain his thoughts so he stopped. She straightened and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. She understood.

As for Ardyn… "So why isn't Ardyn showing signs of infection?" Noctis was quite curious about that.

Luna grinned, eyes sparkling as she replied. "Because he is like Prompto." Noctis choked on his saliva, causing Luna to rub his back until he stopped.

"What! What do you mean like Prompto?" Noctis demanded frantically. If Prompto needed more healing or if his Scourge was growing… Noctis knew his boyfriend would let them know if something was wrong but that was only if he knew something was wrong.

Luna clarified, "I only meant that, like Prompto, Ardyn's magic merged with the Scourge he was exposed to and created a hybrid strain. I would not say he is exactly like Prompto. For one, his infection is much more widespread than Prompto's ever was, but if I were to guess… I would say Ardyn Lucis Caelum received the vaccine for the Scourge while in the end stage of the infection."

"It must have reacted with his magic, Lucis Caelum magic born of the Crystal, in the same way Prompto reacted to your magic. Except that while Prompto ended up with a separate entity living within his body, Ardyn seems to have simply gained additional strength from it. The initial infection was most likely cleared by the vaccine, but he was re-exposed to the Scourge afterwards and that is what Prompto and I have been sensing." Luna turned to watch Noctis think.

Noctis nodded, relieved that Luna didn't mean anything with her comparison. "Okay. That makes sense." Noct paused for a second then said, "We should let the others know about the story Ardyn told you. If that daemon-King is the core then we need to find it and destroy it for the Prophecy, right?" Luna nodded. "Then the more people know about it, th…"

"Noct! Luna! Get down here!" Nyx's voice called out from below. Noct and Luna shared a worried look before Noctis grabbed her and warped down. Nyx sounded stressed. They found the glaive by the foot of the Lighthouse with Prompto by his side. Nyx wasted no time, "Dustin just contacted us. The Crownguards received a distress signal of Lucian origin and code from Altissia."

"Cor's group." Noctis paled and set out towards the house. The others followed quickly.

Nyx continued, "That's what they think. There's more…Iris was the one who received and translated the message. Apparently she passed it on to another hunter and then took off without a word. That was almost an hour ago. Monica thinks she might be heading to Altissia."

Luna shook her head, "Gladio must be worried sick. I imagine she isn't responding to any calls either?" Nyx nodded. They entered the house and found Gladio pacing in the main living room, holding his phone to his ear.

Ignis motioned for them to approach the rest of the group, sitting around the dining table where an old two way radio set was in use by Pelna. Noctis was given a note. It read: **Safe House compromised. W under surveillance. Found R. Niff planning something big. .SOS.**

Ignis leaned over and whispered to Luna and Noctis, "This is the message that was sent. The SOS signal is part of an automatic cut off signal that the operator can initiate in case of danger to prevent any further information to be sent. Dustin confirmed they have not been able to contact anyone from the expedition. Nor have they been able to contact any of their spies in Altissia."

Noctis nodded and turned his attention to Pelna and the slightly distorted voice of Dustin. They were confirming various details about what the expedition to Altissia had been planning to do once there. The safe house location, who W could be (easy, Weskham was the first person Cor and Clarus would have gone to check on once in they arrived.), what were the possible locations they would have checked within the first few days of their arrival, etc.

Noctis didn't allow himself to think about the other words. The ones that had sent his heart into a frantic pace. Instead he listened as Gladio joined them around the dining table with a sullen growl and the declaration that he couldn't reach Iris at all. The information came bit by bit in a fast pace after that.

A hunter's report of a girl matching Iris' description renting a boat from Galdin Quay then leaving directly south of there. The signal from Altissia cut off suddenly. Niflheim increased their patrols between Lucis and Accordo waters. The only good news was that Pelna and Prompto were able to decode the exact location of the distress signal.

Noctis glanced over at Ignis first, getting a sigh and a firm nod, then at Gladio, getting another resolute nod, before turning to check with Prompto. Another nod, this one accompanied by a smile. Noctis turned over and grabbed the radio from Pelna.

"We're heading to Altissia as soon as Cid can have the boat ready." He declared. "Let's go save Dad, and make sure Cor, Clarus and the others are okay." Noctis looked at Gladio and added, "That includes Iris."


	70. Chapter 70 (fixed)

Noctis watched the lighthouse disappear from sight before he moved to join his boyfriends. Ignis had a map of Altissia spread on one of the seats. Once Noctis dropped beside Prompto, Ignis said, "We will have to come up with a story for entry to Altissia. Its entrances are closely guarded and will undoubtedly be even more so now."

Prompto grinned, "Which is why we're disguising ourselves again!" Gladio chuckled as he reached out to ruffle Prompto's hair. Ignis grimaced at the reminder but nodded nonetheless. The disguises had worked quite well in Lestallum until his encounter with the Chancellor.

"Yes well… Altissia requests a reason for visiting from every person entering the city. I was thinking we portray students looking to use the Altissian Repository for research?" Ignis looked around. Gladio shrugged, he didn't care if it got them into the city. As for Noct and Prompto…. Ignis sighed, they were sharing that amused and secretive smile of theirs.

Noct smiled as he turned to face Ignis, "Actually… Since we were going to Altissia for a wedding and we're pretty dedicated to each other…" Noct grinned, "Why don't we say we're there to scout possible wedding and/or honeymoon locations?" Prompto nodded enthusiastically. Ignis met Gladio's amused gaze and shrugged. They hadn't talked about marriage before, at least not the four of them together; but the idea was not surprising.

Ignis turned to his beloved Prince and rewarded the idea with the appropriate gift. As he straightened, leaving a red-faced Noct looking starry-eyed, Ignis said, "Very well. We have our story for the guards. Now, once we arrive at Altissia we will have to find a secure spot from which to operate." Prompto raised his hand. "Yes, Prompto?"

"I kinda have one?" he said hesitantly. Prompto ducked his head as his three partners all made him the focus of their attention. Ignis raised a brow and Prompto took that as a clear sign to explain. "Well… There was a home-ec project in 9th grade? About managing a family's finances? And... " Prompto scratched his head as he considered how to properly explain how he'd ended up with a solution to their problem.

He sighed, the easiest way to do it was by being blunt. "I ended up using the Ulrics as my example household without realising that they were also responsible for the whole tribe's collective funds? One thing led to another and well…. I ended up suggesting those funds be used as investments? Which happens to include a few vacation rental properties here in Altissia." He risked a glance at the other three and winced as their expression. They were looking decisively flustered.

Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a few deep breaths before he asked quietly. "Prompto, dear?" Prompto gave a hesitant nod. "Your suggested investments wouldn't have included several parks within Insomnia, wouldn't it?" Prompto tensed up at his words. Ignis grumbled half-heartedly, "Do you realized how much panic those anonymous investments caused? Three of those parks are right beside the Citadel and the others were…" Ignis stopped talking and facepalmed.

"I am an idiot. That's why those parks were chosen…. They were close to your chosen apartment, and mine, and the Amicitia's manor…." Ignis sighed.

Noct leaned forward to grab Ignis' hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "You aren't stupid Specs. No one thought to talk with Prom about the donations. I, for one, didn't put the locations as being anything important until just now." He shrugged then changed the subject, "So Prom can get us a safely anonymous place for us to stay. That just leaves us to figure out how we're going to actually do this. We'll have three days before the others arrive so we can't get distracted."

"Fair enough." Gladio leaned over the map of Altissia, examining it for a few seconds before tapping a building in the lower levels of the city. "We know the signal Iris intercepted came from this building. Like we discussed before, going straight there is pointless so instead we will try to track down any survivors from the expedition." Gladio glanced at Prompto, "Any ideas where we would be staying?"

Prompto took out his phone, swiping through apps until he found the one he needed. Soon enough, Prompto hummed under his breath and examined the city map until he found the location he wanted. "Here." He tapped a building that wasn't too far from one of the main plazas of Altissia. "This is a 3 bedroom townhouse that is free for the next month due to planned renovations. Nothing major so we can use it." The others nodded. The location was pretty good and it would allow them to remain unnoticed.

The discussion continued for a while, figuring out how to best search the large city of Altissia for Cor, Clarus, Iris and the others while also keeping an eye out for King Regis' whereabouts was quite the task after all. As Cid announced their approach to Altissia, Noctis reeled in his fishing line and got ready. Ignis, Gladio and Prompto had already dyed their hair and changed into a new style of clothing which left only Noctis to do the same.

The prince emerged a redhead a few minutes before they docked into the port entrance. Gladio whistled, "Looking good, Princess." Noctis grinned as he sauntered over. Ignis looked great with strawberry blond hair and some casual clothes. Gladio was rocking the mature student look with a pair of fake glasses that partially hid his scar. As for Prompto, Noctis smiled sweetly as he enjoyed the sight of his now blue-haired punk-wearing boyfriend.

The four men bid Cid farewell and quietly passed through the guarded entrance to Altissia. Prompto led the way to their temporary home. The city was bustling with people despite the heavy Niflheim presence on the streets. There was a tension that followed the patrols of soldiers dressed in white and gold with the red emblem of its master a stark reminder to those who gazed upon them.

Gladio had Ignis keep an eye on Noctis and Prompto while he checked out the townhouse. Satisfied that it was empty and without any kind of listening device, they settled in and got ready to spend the next few hours checking the city for any sign of their missing Lucian compatriots. Prompto's photographic tendencies were of great use as they wandered around, asking discreet questions of the locals.

On their way back, Gladio slowed his pace until he was bringing up the rear of their little group. In a hushed tone, the Shield said, "We're being followed. Prom, lead the way to somewhere where we can get a good view of these guys without letting them know we're onto them." Prompto grinned brightly, twirling to take a picture of Gladiolus and the narrow streets winding behind them.

Prompto made quick work of finding a small event nearby and led them there. It was, amusingly enough, a wedding showcase that had been planned to coincide with the Royal Wedding. Prompto dragged Noctis towards a display of goth wedding accessories, slipping through the crowd with ease as Gladio and Ignis stepped out of sight and waited for their pursuers to show themselves.

Itt didn't take too long before Gladio felt the presence that had been hounding them for almost an hour to show up. "Selena?" Gladio stared at Nyx's sister as she strolled into the plaza. Ignis frowned as they watched the youngest Ulric sibling head towards the booth their boyfriends were perusing. "What in Eos is she doing here? I thought she was in Galahd?" Gladio hissed to Ignis.

"I do not see why you are asking me that," Ignis said, motioning for Gladio to follow him. "It would be best to simply ask Miss Selena directly." Gladio jerked at his words but reacted just a bit too late to prevent Ignis from sliding up beside the Galahdian. "Hello dear, it is quite surprising to see you in these waters." Ignis hooks his arm with Selena, giving her a bright, cheery, and slightly too-charming (if Gladio admitted to the twinge of jealousy that the action created in his chest) smile.

Selena almost jerked her arm out of Ignis' grip, but the advisor tightened his grip and kept smiling politely. Gladio knew the second Selena realized who they were. Her shoulders dropped and she returned Ignis' smile with a playful grin of her own. "Darling! What a pleasant surprise. It's been ages!" Ignis dipped his head slightly at that. Selena turned her head to smile at Gladio. "I see your friend is still with you. The others?"

Gladio gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Around. Why don't we catch up somewhere more comfortable?" It's not really a question and Selena knows it. Gladio left her in Ignis' capable hands to go corral the wandering duo. It took a few seconds for Gladio to remember he was looking for a redhead and a blue-haired punk. He found them tasting some cake samples and huffed in amusement as he motioned for them to follow him.

The group of five finally made their way back to the townhouse; Prompto and Noctis refraining from asking Selena questions as they walked. It was only after they had safely arrived to their temporary base, and had Gladio, Ignis and Selena look through it again for listening devices, that they actually sat down to talk.

Prompto was the first one to burst as he hugged Selena, pushed her away to get a good look at her, then hugged her again. "Why are you here? Is everything alright with Navalus? What about Galahd?" Noctis, Ignis and Gladio can't help the fond smile that appeared as Prompto launched into a barrage of questions. Most of the questions were the same as theirs, so they settled into the couches and waited to hear the answers.

Selena took a few minutes to hug Prompto, requested something to drink from Ignis then answered their questions. She's there because Cor contacted her to act as backup in case of trouble. She had arrived three days ago and linked up with Cor and Clarus' group at that time. Since then, Selena had been acting as a literal and (metaphysical?) backup as Cor and then Clarus updated her on every bit of information they had. She didn't know how Niflheim had known about the safehouse being used by the group but what she did know had Noctis jumping to his feet.

"Dad is being held in the Catacombs?"

Selena nodded. "Yes. Cor and Clarus were about to narrow the location down to the specific section when the safehouse was attacked." She raised her hand to forestall any questions and continued. "They are all fine and made it out without trouble. I heard about a group of guys asking questions and wanted to check who it was. Hence our little meeting." She grinned, eyes twinkling with amusement. "Really great disguises by the way. I didn't recognize any of you until Ignis spoke."

Prompto grinned happily at the compliment. Selena winked at him then continued, "Meeting might be hard though. There's been an increase in patrols, and even wanted posters with bounties for their heads being posted around the city. I can let them know you're here and see what they want you to do."

Noct shook his head. "No. If they knew we were here, they would get distracted from what they need to do: find and save Dad." He thought about it, looked around to Ignis, Gladio and Prompto before adding, "We have our own things to do before Luna gets here. I'd appreciate it if you could keep us informed, but please keep our presence here a secret for now."

Selena seemed confused about the request but still agreed to it. They spent a bit of time talking, with Selena taking a turn in asking the four men questions about what they'd been doing. Selena slipped out into Altissia's night almost an hour later. The sound of waves crashing along the coast of the city were not loud enough to hide the hum of airships as Niflheim's plans moved onwards.


	71. Chapter 71

Prompto woke up early the next morning, early enough that not even Ignis stirred as he got up from their shared bed. Noctis and Gladio were sharing another room across the hall. Prompto checked on them quietly before padding down the stairs to the kitchen. Despite the early hour and the limited sleep, he felt great.

He checked what was available for breakfast and found most of the cupboards empty of food. Right, a vacation house wouldn't have food in most cases, and they hadn't thought to buy anything yesterday. Prompto got dressed, left a note in case someone woke up before he came back, and headed out to the nearest grocery to pick up what they would need.

The moment he reached one of the busier streets in the area, Prompto knew something had changed overnight. Banners bearing Niflheim's emblem hung from balconies and street lights. MTs were present on many of the street corners, the still and silent guards watching those who walked by. And to crown all those things were the airships just floating above Altissia like ominous clouds.

For a brief moment, Prompto considered returning to the house and warning the others, but they still needed food. Trusting in his disguise, Prompto kept walking through the streets. The streets were mostly empty; the only other people walking at this early hour kept to themselves. The store was similarly empty of people. He bought what he needed as quickly as he could and hurried back the way he came.

Prompto was tense as he made his way back to the house. He checked and rechecked that no one was following him as he walked through the streets of Altissia. A figure darted passed him as he stopped to check on his surroundings. Prompto was startled as he recognized who it was. "Iris?"

It was definitely Iris but she didn't glance even glance at Prompto as she disappeared into a side street. Prompto was about to go after her when he heard a shout from the direction she'd come from. Niflheim soldiers, mostly MTs and clones, appeared at the end of the street and started to look around.

Shit… Prompto made a quick decision as he grabbed his bags and hurried off, keeping an eye on the soldiers until he was out of sight. The groceries went into the armiger and a quick text later, Prompto started to track Iris down. He headed in the direction she'd disappeared to, keeping an eye out for any signs of Gladio's sister.

He didn't just use his eyes as he moved through the streets of Altissia. Seeing as most of the troops Prompto could see were MTs, he reached out to his daemonic abilities and tried to follow the Scourge-infected troopers as Niflheim troops scattered throughout the area. He hoped he wasn't too out of practice.

Prompto flinched as he felt the amount of troops that showed to his senses. It wasn't just MTs that came up as he shuffled through the streets. Clones and humans in varying stages of infection were moving around. Prompto frowned as he felt the amount of Scourge present within the reach of his senses grow steadily despite the strong sunshine.

"Wonder if Niflheim has anything to do with that?" he muttered to himself. Concentrating on the Scourge more, Prompto managed to identify two main sources of it, though he ended up with quite a sunburn in retaliation. Prompto slipped into a dark spot and tried to figure out what it all meant.

One source of the Scourge, the biggest one, appeared to be coming from a spot east of Prompto's location. There were a high amount of MTs and other infected beings there. Prompto decided it was most likely where Chancellor Izunia was, along with the rest of Niflheim's troops.

The other source though…. Prompto leaned against the wall and felt for it again. "The catacombs?" he mused; then grinned: "Oh, I get it! Cor and Clarus are down there." It wouldn't be surprising if the Catacombs held daemons. Especially if Niflheim was using it as a prison of sorts.

Prompto shook his head as he reminded himself of why he'd sought out traces of Scourge within the city. Iris would most likely try to find somewhere to hide until the soldiers stopped their search. With that in mind, Prompto mentally compared the movements of the troops he could feel with the approximate direction Iris had been heading towards when she'd passed by him.

With a vague sense of direction in mind, and the general movement of Niflheim's troops memorized, Prompto banished his daemonic abilities to the back of his mind and stepped back into the growing sunlight. His phone buzzed with incoming messages but he ignored them for now, intent on scanning the morning crowd for signs of the wayward Amicitia.

A flash of all too familiar blue light caught Prompto's attention and he grinned. He'd found her. Making his way towards the small alcove where it had occurred, Prompto hummed cheerfully to himself. A quick look around the small plaza for anyone looking in his direction and Prompto slipped unnoticed into the shadowy space.

Iris had him by the collar almost instantly, slamming Prompto painfully against the wall. "Iris! It's me!" Iris hesitated, eyes searching Prompto's figure for a few, tense seconds.

Iris' shoulders slumped as she relaxed her grip on Prompto. She took a few steps back until she hit the opposite wall, and sighed. "Sorry Prom. Wasn't expecting to see you like that..."

"I knew the disguises were great." Prompto grinned proudly. "Why are those soldiers… No; never mind that for now. Everyone has been worried about you." He took out his phone and smiled at the wall of notifications that greeted him. He thumbed over Gladio's name, initiating the call while giving Iris a reassuring smile.

Gladio answered on the first ring. "Prom? What's going on? You saw Iris? Where is she? Is she okay?"

Prompto allowed a fond smile to show as he answered his boyfriend's frantic questions. "Iris is with me, she looks fine." The girl in question gave a tired thumbs up, rolling her eyes at her brother's questions. "Says she's fine too. Are you guys still at the house?"

"Indeed we are. It seemed unwise to go out without knowing where you were or in which direction to start searching." Ignis said. "Will you be making your way back soon? Or should we go to you?" Prompto stifled a grin at the sudden change of speaker but replied to the questions without hesitation.

While allowing Iris to talk with Gladio, Prompto checked to see the best route to return to the house. It had been almost two hours since Prompto had left, an hour since he'd spotted Iris; most of the soldiers seemed to have left the area.

Gladio met them at the entrance of the house, hugging Iris the moment the door was closed. Prompto smiled at the display of brotherly affection and slipped past them into the living room. Ignis had retrieved the groceries from the armiger and was making breakfast while Noctis was listening to the news with a deep frown.

Prompto headed over to help Ignis, stopping to give Noctis a good morning kiss before continuing on his way. He half listened to the radio as he cut the onions for Ignis. They were talking about the arrival of Niflheim's Chancellor overnight with a large fleet of soldiers as 'escort'. Prompto winced; there was no way the troops were simply escorts, considering the way they were spread out throughout the city.

Gladio and Iris entered just as Ignis served the first plate of bacon and sausage. As they ate together, Prompto told them what he'd seen during his morning walk. Once he'd reached the point where Iris ran in front of him, the young Amicitia took over and told them what had happened.

When she'd received the distress message from Cor's group, Iris decided she couldn't just stay with Monica and Dustin while her father and uncle were in danger. She'd borrowed a boat from a fisherman close to Galdin and made her way to Altissia. On the way there, she saw the amount of airships flying over the sea between Accordo and Lucis.

Strangely enough, Iris was certain she'd been spotted by the airships but they left her alone. Even stranger was the fact that they retreated, disappearing behind the islands of Accordo, as she crossed the ocean. Iris had reached the shores of Accordo at the next town over from Altissia, since she didn't have the papers needed to bring the boat straight there.

Reaching Atissa through the gondolas had taken the rest of her day, and she'd arrived in the city just after Niflheim started putting troops in the streets. Iris had found a quiet motel to stay at overnight, only to find soldiers looking for her. She'd managed to warp out of her room just as the soldiers burst in.

The rest was easy enough to figure out. She'd made her way through the streets of Altissia until Prompto had found her.

Gladio huffed a long sigh as he reached out to bring Iris into another hug. "Honestly Iris, that was extremely reckless of you." He kissed her forehead and added, "I'm glad you're okay." Iris smiled and snuggled into the hug.

"So what now?" asked Prompto. "Uncle Cor and Clarus should be in the Catacombs by now. We found Iris, too, so…. What's next on the to-do list?" He glanced from Ignis to Gladio then to Noctis.

Noctis replied, "We need to talk with Secretary Camelia. Luna is going to be arriving soon and I'd rather not stress her out with negotiations for doing the covenant ritual."

"I see. In that case, our best bet would be to go discuss this with Weskham. He should be able to offer some help in getting in contact with Lady Camelia. He may even know how to best approach the negotiations." Ignis offered as he collected the plates and placed them in the sink to be washed.

Noctis nodded. "Sounds good. We'll have to be careful seeing as he's under surveillance but our disguises should do the trick." He glanced over at Iris hesitantly.

Iris grinned. "I'll stay here and catch up on my sleep, if you promise to grab me a disguise on your way back." Prompto laughed and promised to do so before going to wash up. Gladio helped Ignis in washing the dishes and pans while Iris left go find an empty bed.

It didn't take long before the four men were ready to head out. Gladio checked on Iris before they left, but she was asleep. Maagho's would be open by the time they arrived at the restaurant as it was across the city. Prompto and Noctis found the directions to the gondola that ran in that section and led the way.

Altissia was a beautiful city despite the soldiers stationed all over. Flowers of various sizes and colors adorned every street lamp and bridge. Water fountains, whose statues depicted the Hydraen in her many supposed forms, could be found in many plazas.

They found the gondola they needed to take with ease and were soon drifting through the canals that were so common in the city of water. Prompto snapped pictures after pictures of their surroundings. He occasionally leaned too far out of the gondola, forcing Gladio or Ignis to grab him before he ended up taking an unexpected swim.

Noctis straightened as Maagho's came into view, its tables mostly full despite the early hour. Weskham was easy to spot behind the bar. Noctis had fond memories of the older man and his frequent visits to Insomnia. He knew Ignis had looked up to Weskham as a mentor in both his duties to the Crown and as a cook.

A glance towards Ignis showed Noct the sentiment was still very much there. Ignis eyes were bright and eager as the gondola slid into the designated unloading area. Gladio paid the gondolier and followed the others. Noctis didn't hesitate as he headed straight for the bar.

"Welcome to Maagho's. What can I get you?" Weskham gave them a wide smile. Had Noctis not known the man, he would have missed the tense lines at the corners of his eyes.

Noctis gave a brief nod over his shoulders towards his partners as he asked, "Can we get the Galahdian House Special? Four of them please." Weskham tensed up at the order. The Galahdian House Special was one of the codes that were used when his dad had tried to forge an alliance with Accordo against Niflheim. Noctis smiled as recognition flashed through Weskham's eyes.

"Of course, with camellias?" Noctis nodded in reply. "Please take a seat and we'll bring it out when it's ready." Weskham gave a lingering look towards an occupied table of blond haired customers. One of them looked familiar but Noctis couldn't quite place them. They were definitively military if their too straight posture were any indication.

The surveillance team assigned to keep an eye on Weskham, then.

The four men grabbed a table in a corner, Gladio seating himself so he could keep watch over the surveillance team casually. As they waited for Weskham to arrive with their drink, Prompto took a few discrete pictures of the soldiers and several of the view.

It wasn't until Noctis heard a irksome voice, also familiar, that he finally remembered why one of the Niflheim soldiers looked familiar. "Shit! That's Loqi!" He hissed to the others. Prompto thumbed through his pictures and gave a firm nod as he showed the others Loqi, seated with three other unknown soldiers.

"Ya, that's Loqi alright. I doubt he'll be able to recognize us, but why is he here?" Prompto said softly.

Gladio shrugged, "Probably because your uncle is around? As I remember, the man is obsessed with him." Prompto looked uncomfortable as Gladio brought up the weird love-hate obsession Loqi had with Cor.

They didn't have a chance to continue discussing Loqi's presence as Gladio noticed someone staring at them. A tall woman in a well-made suit was getting out of her gondola, eyes pinned on their table. "Careful, I think we're about to have company." He said under his breath.

The woman made her way to the bar, speaking for a few seconds with Weskham before making her way to their table. She grabbed a seat from another table, placing it right between Ignis and Prompto before she sat down and introduced herself. "My name is Olivia. I hope I am not late." She slipped a card onto the table, and waited.

The card read: Olivia Carigno, assistant administrator, Accordo government. Ignis gave her a smile, "Please do not worry about it, Miss Olivia. We only just arrived ourselves." Their drinks arrived, five cups of strong Galahdian coffee. Ignis took an appreciative sip of it before he continued. "I imagine you had no trouble on your way here?"

Olivia smiled pleasantly as she shook her head. "Not really, my profession allows me a few perks. Traveling freely from one place to another is part of it." She paused and turned her gaze to Noctis, "I was told you wished to view some of the First Secretary's ballrooms that are available for use?"

Noctis was confused for a brief moment before he remembered the story they gave when entering Altissia. He shifted in his seat but gave a firm nod despite the blush across his cheeks. "Yes, that's right; we're looking for possible wedding venues."

Olivia smiled. "That can be arranged. Are you free to visit this afternoon? Say around 2?" Noct glanced over at Ignis, who inclined his head slightly, before he gave a nod. She smiled, "Good. I will see you at 2, at the front entrance." And with that, she finished her drink in one smooth gulp before leaving.

Noctis watched as she stepped back into the gondola that had brought her here. He turned to say something to the others but he forgot what he wanted to say as soon as his eyes came to rest on Ignis. His boyfriend and advisor looked absolutely horrified as he stared at the empty cup of coffee. "How could she? In one shot? How…" Noctis couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of him as Ignis mourned the lack of appreciation that his favorite drink had to deal with.

At the agreed time, Noctis and the others were escorted inside by Olivia and found themselves standing in the office of First Secretary Camelia. The head of the Accordo government took her time to look over the four men before she spoke. "Quite the effective disguises you have there, King Noctis."

"Prince actually. My father is alive." Noctis corrected. Secretary Camelia looked surprised to hear that. Noctis buried the smile that wanted to emerge under his princely mask. "Thank you for seeing us, Lady Camelia. We are here to ask you for permission to hold the covenant ritual for the Hydraean, Leviathan, within the next week."

Secretary Camelia leaned back on her chair, pressing her fingertips together as she replied, "So you seek to awaken the Hydraean? For what reason?"

"I seek to receive Leviathan's blessing."

"As I expected." Camelia leaned forward, her eyes piercing Noctis as she spoke, "But to receive such a blessing must be quite the task. Not easy for a prin…"

The doors of the office opened without warning. Ignis, Gladio and Prompto turned towards the intruder only to freeze as guns were pointed straight at them. "My, my, how unexpected!" Chancellor Izunia said cheerfully as he entered the room as though he owned it. "My apologies for entering unannounced, dear Lady Camelia, but I couldn't bear to simply to be away from you any longer."

"And I so dearly wished to have a discussion with your guests."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! We are near the end so if you have any guesses on how things will go down, let me hear them! I'm curious to see what you think :)


	72. Chapter 72

Noctis glared at Izunia before glancing back at his friends. Considering past reactions, he was worried about Prompto. The blue-haired man seemed alright; standing by his own strength and moving his gaze between the Niflheim soldiers and Chancellor Izunia. Ignis and Gladio were keeping watch over the soldiers as well, though Ignis cast frequent glances towards Prompto.

Izunia sauntered past Noctis to sit on Secretary Camelia's desk. He ignored the outraged glare the lady gave him with practiced ease. Noctis tensed up as he waited for Chancellor Izunia to say something.

The tense atmosphere was broken by a phone ringing. "Ah, such good timing," Chancellor Izunia said with an amused grin. He flicked his phone open and placed it on the desk beside him before deigning to answer. "How goes the mission?" The word 'mission' had them all tensing up.

"It is done," said Ulldor, his voice familiar to Noctis. "No casualties, but we were unable to secure all of the targets." Noctis bit his tongue to prevent himself from demanding answers on who the so-called targets were. Izunia made a questioning noise that prompted Ulldor to elaborate.

"We have the Oracle and her escorts but that heterochromatic freak was not with them. I have troops scouring the area but there is no sign of him." Noctis almost stumbled back in shock. Ulldor had captured Luna? Were Nyx, Crowe, Libertus and Pelna alright? How injured were they?

Countless worries danced through Noctis' mind. His hands curled into tight fists. Pain bloomed in a distant corner of his mind but he ignored it to focus on the satisfied grin appearing on the Chancellor's face. Ulldor continued, "I have sent troops to secure the lighthouse at Cape Caem as well. We should arrive in Altissia in 4 hours."

Izunia smiled as he kept his eyes on Noctis. "Well done Brigadier General Ulldor. Bring the Oracle straight to me once you arrive." He paused, still looking at Noctis; allowing the silence to grow to an almost uncomfortable level before he added, "Do not harm the others… For now." Chancellor Izunia didn't wait for a reply from Ulldor before ending the call.

"Chancellor!" Snapped Camelia before Noctis could even begin to formulate a word. The Secretary glared as she spoke. "What is the meaning of this? Explain yourself imm…" Izunia had sighed when she'd started speaking, he reached towards her and the Secretary froze mid-word.

"Much better, don't you agree Prince Noctis?" Izunia said as he dropped his hand back to his side.

Noctis forced himself to take a deep breath before he said anything. "You've made your point, Chancellor. What do you want from us?" He crossed his arms over his chest, straightening to his full height, and called upon all the dignity and training at his disposal. "Speak plainly. I don't care for your posturing."

Izunia threw his head back and laughed, clearly amused by Noctis. The laughter stopped abruptly. It was creepy by how sudden it stopped. Noct resisted the urge to take a step back, and met the gaze Izunia shifted his way head-on.

"How quick the boy grows." Izunia said slowly, enunciate every word with almost exaggerated care. "How quick to forget what the consequences are for his behaviour." Noctis jerked forward, worry and fear mingling together into a pool of nausea at the bottom of his stomach.

Izunia's grin returned, a satisfied edge now present. "Good. Very good." His eyes roamed hungrily over Noctis. "Now to answer your question… The same thing I have always wanted. The Oracle shall awaken the Hydraean and you, dear prince, will take her trial to receive her covenant. That is all you need to know."

Noctis wanted desperately to ask why; why was Izunia so determined to push Noctis into receiving the covenant? Instead, he gave a perfect bow. "If that will guarantee the safety of Lunafreya and my Kingsglaives." He didn't say anything else.

The Chancellor waited silently for a few more seconds before giving a great big sigh. He slipped down from the desk, and said, "How boring but I suppose I can give you my word that no harm will come to the Oracle, or your Kingsglaives, as long as they behave and you show up… let us say tomorrow at dawn. At the Altar." Izunia walked past Noctis as he spoke, waving one hand carelessly above his head.

Noctis gritted his teeth, turning to watch as Chancellor Izunia walked away from him. The man paused in front of Prompto, smirked while eyeing him like a morsel of choice meat. Gladio bristled and stepped forward, putting himself between the Chancellor and Prompto.

Chancellor Izunia grinned and turned away. He was halfway out the door before Ignis cleared his throat, "Chancellor?... The Secretary is still.." Ignis hesitated.

The Chancellor didn't even glance back into the room. A snap of his fingers sent Secretary Camelia into movement, staggering against her desk, coughing and spluttering. The door closed behind the Chancellor and his soldiers just as Noctis rushed over to help Secretary Camelia.

It took several minutes, minutes spent checking on each other and on the Secretary, before they were able to discuss what had happened. Secretary Camelia was outraged but it wasn't like she could do anything since Niflheim had all but invaded Altissia. The best she could offer was a promise to have Accordo soldiers, the few they had still roaming the city, keep an eye on the altar until the ritual began.

Noctis offered to help evacuate the city, seeing as regardless of what happened at the Altar, it was hard to deny that Accordo would find itself the battleground of an ongoing war. Secretary Camelia declined the help with a scoff. "You will undoubtedly need all the help you can get to deal with the Hydraean's fury. The city has several evacuation plans prepared already. Altissia will be empty by dawn." And with that, the four men left the office, a heavy weight on their shoulders.

A gondola was waiting outside to bring them back to Maagho's. The ride was silent as they were all lost in their own thoughts. Noctis drummed his fingers on the edge of the gondola as he tried to figure out what to do now. Izunia had hostages which limited what he could do until they were freed. He'd seen Ignis sent a text to someone. Hoped it was to warn Dustin or Monica of the situation.

Maagho's crawled into view before long. Noctis straightened, and frowned as he noticed Loqi wasn't there anymore. Nor were any of the other Niflheim soldiers that had been keeping an eye on Weskham. Instead, the restaurant was completely empty despite the time nearing midday.

"Shit," hissed Noctis as he glanced around in hopes of seeing Weskham somewhere. He warped out of the gondola, ignoring the protests from Gladio and Ignis, before it reached the dock. Their disguises were no longer of use considering Chancellor Izunia's knowledge of their whereabouts. "Hello? Weskham?" He called out, twisting and turning on the spot as he looked for any signs of a struggle or fight.

Selena jumped out from behind the bar. "Oh! You're back already."

"Selena?" Noctis stared at her for a brief moment before he panicked, "What are you doing here?"

Selena chuckled, motioned for Noctis to join her before she ducked under the bar again. Noctis hesitated, glancing back towards his boyfriends and decided to at least take a look while he waited for them to join him. Noctis walked around to the other side of the bar and glanced down to where Selena had disappeared.

There was a door on the ground. Well more of a trap door of sorts. A carpet laid rumpled beside the opened entrance, a set of steps disappearing into the ground. Noctis shook his head, who would have imagined there being a underground cellar below water level? Certainly not him.

It seemed he wasn't the only one surprised by the existence of the underground section of Maagho's. Prompto squeaked excitedly as he discovered the entrance. Gladio peered into the darkness with an intrigued look in his eyes. Even Ignis seemed taken aback by the existence of the unknown room.

Selena's head suddenly appeared into sight. "Are you guys coming or not?" she huffed. Noctis glanced to the others, shrugged and started down the steps carefully. He pushed through the hanging fabric that met him just past the last step and emerged into a well lit and very dry cellar. Several doors indicated other ways in or out of the place. Noctis barely had the time to consider the implications before his gaze came to rest on the people already inside.

Weskham was there, sitting with several Crownsguards and... Iris. Gladio growled as he walked up to his sister. "I thought you said you'd stay at the house?" His eyes checked her over quickly. He only relaxed once he made sure Iris was unharmed.

"I was until Selena showed up." Iris said with a shrug. "I wasn't about to sit on my ass if there was anything I could do to help." Gladio took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a few seconds before he exhaled slowly.

Weskham interrupted before the siblings could start arguing. "How was your meeting with Secretary Camelia?" he asked, eyes glancing from Ignis to Noctis.

Noctis tensed up, glanced at Ignis then sighed. He motioned towards the seats scattered around the cellar and said, "We'd better sit down. There is a lot to discuss." Selena and Iris lost their smiles at Noctis' words, sharing troubled glances before turning their attention to Noctis.

It took only a few minutes to recount the meeting and the unfortunate intrusion by Chancellor Izunia. Selena paled as she heard that her brother and her friends had been captured by Niflheim's Brigadier General Ulldor but other than clenching her hands by her side, she didn't say anything. Noctis wasn't certain if he was happy or just very concerned with her reaction but he choose to put it aside for now.

Weskham hadn't been too surprised to hear about Secretary Camelia's decision to evacuate the city. He'd expected it since the plan had been to awaken the Hydraean even before Chancellor Izunia interfered. The Chancellor's interference only shortened the timeline.

Noctis decided that the crownguards present with them would help with the evacuation. He felt responsible for ensuring the safety of Altissia's inhabitants.

Two hours later, after arguing and compromising on various things, Noctis found himself with a migraine; but was satisfied with the plan they'd made to deal with the situation. There were a few unknowns, such as if Cor and Clarus would find his dad before dawn, but overall Noctis felt they had addressed any possibility.

It wasn't a perfect plan, not by a long shot. Noctis would face the Hydraean alone with Luna as Prompto, Ignis and Gladio went with Weskham to rescue Nyx, Pelna, Crowe and Libertus from wherever they were being held. Weskham had promised to find out where Ulldor would arrive and have his contacts keep an eye out for the glaives.

Selena and Iris were already on their way to find Cor and Clarus in the Catacombs. Both to update the duo on the new circumstances and to help find his dad as quickly as possible. Weskham had warned that the Catacombs would be flooded once Leviathan rose from her slumber. It made it imperative that everyone was out of the Catacombs before Luna started the Ritual.

Definitely not perfect but it was all they had. Noctis just hoped it would be enough.

Maybe it would be. Noctis stared at Aranea. "Hey Pretty Boy. Can I come in?" Noctis wordlessly stepped aside, checked the streets for anyone and closed the door. Aranea didn't wait as she strode into the house, still unwatched by Niflheim soldiers, and took a seat in the living room. Noctis followed wordlessly behind her, sharing surprised glances with the others as they stopped what they'd been doing to pay attention to the new arrival.

"Aranea? How… No, what brings you here?" Ignis asked as he dried his hands.

Aranea grinned. "The Resistance sent me to help you four deal with Izunia." She shrugged and added, "That and Ravus is worried sick about everyone."

"Ravus is safe?" Prompto said, scrambling to sit beside Aranea. "Is he alright? Did he say what happened? Where is he now?" Aranea laughed at Prompto's excitement. She made a placating movement with her hands and took her time to answer. Noctis dropped into the seat in front of her and waited impatiently for her to talk.

"Ravus was meeting with me when Ulldor attacked the others. We didn't even know it had happened until Biggs overheard the report of the attack on Niflheim's frequency." Aranea explained. "So to answer your questions in order. Yes. Yes. Yes. And he's with Biggs and Wedge on my ship. We've been 'hired' to help kill the Hydraean after the Ritual is done."

Prompto slumped forward with a great sigh. Noctis cast him a fond smile before he returned his attention on the mercenary. Ignis rubbed Prompto's back soothingly as he said, "So the Empire still seeks to kill the Astrals." He hummed thoughtfully, "Are you aware of their exact plans for the Ritual?"

Aranea shook her head. "We've only been told to wait until we receive the signal, after which we start blasting Leviathan with all the guns we have." She turned her gaze to Noctis. "The Resistance gave me different orders. To protect you during the Ritual."

Noctis was surprised. The Resistance had assigned him a bodyguard? As odd as that seemed, he couldn't deny Aranea's help would be most welcomed. He wasn't the only one who thought so as Gladio slapped Noct's back and declared, "Well I guess we won't have to worry about you after all."

"Hey! What does that mean?" Noct grumbled. Gladio didn't say anything else, just grinned widely as he stepped out of the way of Noctis' retaliation. The laughter that followed his missed attempt felt good after being so serious and worried.

Aranea left soon after, declining to stay for supper as she was needed elsewhere. She promised to meet Noctis by the Altar at the appointed time and told them to be careful before disappearing into the streets of Altissia. The rest of the day slipped by as they all tried to relax and get ready for the next day.

Noctis washed the hair dye out, returning to his black locks with satisfaction. If he was going to make a covenant with Leviathan, he would do it looking like himself. The others followed his example, each returning to their prefered style and natural color. Prompto only insisted they take a few pictures before doing so, a memory to their adventurous sides, as he put it.

They tried to sleep but the looming battle made it hard for them to relax. Noctis found himself the center of a cuddle pile before long. It was only then that he managed to fall asleep, surrounded by some of the most important people in his life.

 _It was cold. Snow swirled around him. Noctis frowned as he looked around. "Carbuncle?" he called out. What was going on?_

 _"I was the one who brought you here, Chosen King." The soft voice appeared from nowhere. Noctis turned towards it and stared at the figure approaching im. Gentiana smiled benevolently. "I bring a message from the Oracle."_

 _"Luna? is she alright?"_

 _Gentiana tilted her head in a slow nod. "The Oracle is unharmed, though in the presence of one tainted by the Blight. She bids me to give you these words." Gentiana opened her eyes, staring straight at Noctis, almost as though staring into his soul. It caused Noctis to shiver uncontrollably as he wrapped his arms around himself._

 _Luna's voice came to him on a breeze of frozen air. "Noctis. I must ask that you listen to me very carefully. Once the Ritual begins tomorrow, you must create the Covenant with Leviathan. There will be only one chance to do so. You must receive the Covenant, no matter the cost. Even if that cost is my life. There is one more thing you must know. The Core of the Scourge is within Altissia. I can feel its presence close by. Do be careful my friend."_

 _Noctis shivered as Luna's voice faded away. "That's…" Noct turned to Gentiana only to find her gone. In her place was Shiva, floating almost delicately about the snow. Noctis' words, words of outrage at Luna's suggestion that he would abandon her, died in his throat. Instead he found himself frozen, unable to speak or move, as Shiva floated closer and laid a single, frozen kiss on his forehead._

 _"As per the Oracle's request. You have my blessing Chosen King." Shiva whispered into his ear._

 **Beep. Beep. Beep.**

Noctis opened his eyes, gasped for breath and stared as it came out as vapor. The cold in his limbs faded into comfortable warmth. Ignis shifted beside him and the alarm stopped. It was time.

A/N: I was thinking about putting Prompto's POV of the meeting somewhere but it wouldn't fit with the flow. As such I decided to add it here in the notes. The following section takes place between the time Izunia walked into the office until he left.

Prompto gritted his teeth, fully expecting the wave of paralysing weakness that seemed to accompany Chancellor Izunia's just hoped he wouldn't blackout or be used against Noctis. The weakness gripped his body. Then it faded. Abruptly. Without warning. The weakness he'd felt became warmth.

Within the span of a single breath, Prompto felt like he was waking from a satisfying nap. He was full of energy, even more than when he'd woken up that very morning. What was going on? Some trick from the Chancellor? Or… Prompto took a deep breath and focused on the problem at hand. He could worry about the rest later.

Hearing that Luna, Nyx and the others had been captured was a shock. As was the wave of deep hatred and hunger that welled up from somewhere in the back of his mind. Prompto clenched his fists and concentrated on his breathing until the surge of emotions passed. Another thing to add to the growing list of worries.

When the Chancellor stopped to look at him, Prompto didn't flinch or show any fear. He wasn't afraid. Somehow, and he didn't know why, Prompto felt that if they were to fight right that instant, Prompto would win. It was an irrational feeling, just the hunger that preceded it, but Prompto clung to it until Gladio shifted in front of him protectively, blocking Prompto's view.

As the door closed behind the Chancellor, Prompto frowned. Something was missing. Something important had just happened. Prompto knew he had something he had wanted to say to his friends but now? Now he couldn't remember what it had been nor why it was important. Prompto shrugged mentally. If it was so important, he'd remember it.

We are nearing the end of this part of the fic :) I'm surprised by how many chapters it ended up with since my initial idea was for a single 15 chapters fic XD Anyways I was wondering if anyone had questions that have been left unanswered? I plan on writing a series of side fics to explain a few things but am willing to add more if there are questions that you'd like answered.

Thank you again for reading and please leave a comment!


	73. Chapter 73

**-Prompto-**

Leaving Noctis alone to face Leviathan did not sit well with any of them. Ignis kept glancing towards the Altar as they approached Maagho's. Prompto shifted constantly on his seat despite Gladio's arm wrapped around him. Gladio himself could not stop himself from reaching into their shared armory to check that Noctis was still okay.

They trusted him. They trusted Aranea to do her best. They were still worried.

Weskham stood behind the bar, waiting for them. He wasted no time with greetings and simply went straight to the point. "I found where the Galahdians are being held. We need to hurry if we want to get to them before dawn." He glanced over to the disappearing gondola before ducking down and opening the door to the cellar.

Ignis led the way. Gladio ensured no one followed them down. "So… Where are they?" Prompto asked as they descended.

"They are being held on one of the airships the Chancellor brought with him. It is anchored by the clocktower and we will have to climb up to it." Weskham answered swiftly as he lead them to one of the many doors leading out from the cellar. He opened it and turned his head away as the smell of sewers emerged. "Let us hurry."

The sewers of Altissia were mostly old canals that had been repurposed as the city sank inch by inch into the sea. Old houses and storefronts punctuated the history that existed under the brightly lit and flowered streets above sea level. Prompto itched to take pictures but it was not the time.

The streets-turned-walkways were mostly clean; though rats, cats and other critters scurried underfoot. Ignis grimaced as he stepped too close to a puddle of something indistinguishable. They ran through the sewers, following Weskham closely, as the group made their way to the Clocktower.

"Here." After a quarter of an hour of running, jumping over rivers of sewers, and avoiding collapsed streets, Weskham came to a stop in front of half demolished house. "The clocktower is right above us. We will be able to access it through the maintenance hatch in there." He pointed to the attic of the house.

Gladio frowned. The attic was half destroyed, mouldy, and red eyes glinted in the dim lighting. "Looks like it's inhabited… possibly daemons." Prompto tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowing for a brief moment before he sighed and nodded. Daemons it was.

Weskham flicked his eyes between the three men but didn't say anything. Ignis glanced at his watch, "We should hurry. The sun will be rising soon."

"I concur. I will allow you three to take the lead and will act as support if need be." Weskham motioned for them to go ahead. Ignis shot Gladio and Prompto a meaningful look. Gladio grinned, summoned his sword and walked in first. Ignis wasted no time in following, Prompto only a step behind.

Gleeful laughter greeted them as imps dropped through a hole in the ceiling to harass them. Prompto's gun boomed in rapid succession. Half of the imps died before reaching the ground. The other half were not match for Gladio nor Ignis.

They found the stairs still manageable under the rubble and used it to reached the top floor. The occasional attack by the imps were handled with ease. Weskham took the lead once they arrived at the maintenance hatch. It was slightly out of reach but Gladio simply sighed, dismissed his sword and motioned for Weskham to use him as a ladder.

The maintenance hatch was rusted shut at first but Weskham seemed to be ready for that possibility. He took out a flask along with a stained handkerchief, and proceeded to used the liquid within the flask to clean the hinges and lock. Gladio winced as a few drops of the liquid fell on him despite Weskham's great care.

Where the drops touched his skin, it hissed and left minor burns. Ignis and Prompto both started forward but Gladio shook his head, gritting his teeth as he kept Weskham steady. After a moment of hesitation, Ignis grabbed a potion and tucked it into his pocket for rapid access. He fully intended to use it once Weskham was done cleaning the hatch.

"There." Weskham opened it carefully. "There should not be any soldiers guarding the inner staircase, but there will be a few once we emerge on the roof." He swept his gaze over the three men, a warning in his eyes, before climbing out of the sewers.

"Stairs?" said Prompto dejectedly. "I'm going to be so sore tomorrow…" Ignis shook his head, a miniscule smile on his lips as he vaulted upwards and disappeared through the hatch.

Gladio chuckled, taking a moment to loosen his muscles before motioning to Prompto to go next. As Prompto put his foot in Gladio's cupped hands, the Shield whispered. "Don't worry about tomorrow, I'll give you my _best_ massage." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and grinned as Prompto blushed.

It took a moment for Gladio to climb up with a bit of help from his boyfriends. The clocktower was mostly empty, the gears grinding slowly forward high above them. As Weskham had said, no soldiers patrolled the insides of Altissia's Clocktower. Prompto whined softly as he tilted his head back. And back. And back, to take in the height they would have to climb.

His whine caused the others to share amused looks. Weskham clasped his back with a grin. "Now then, young man; why don't you lead the way?" Prompto groaned, casting a betrayed look at him. Weskham laughed, "Go on. The faster we go the shorter the climb will feel." Prompto doubted that was true but he started the long, long, long climb nonetheless.

The staircase stretched in between the inner support columns in winding circles. By the time they reached a fourth of the way, Prompto had cramps. By half, Ignis did too. By three quarters of the way up, Gladio was wincing with every step. The only one seemingly unaffected by the stairs was Weskham, looking as comfortable as when they had started.

Weskham allowed them to catch their breaths while he slipped outside to deal with any guards on the rooftop. The trio within heard nothing, no shout, no gunshot, no signs of a struggle. The only sign that Weskham had encountered anyone while they rested was the armored bodies strewn about the roof. Ignis' eyes glinted as he knelt by a body. A single cut across the throat had downed the soldier.

The airship they desired was anchored by a rope bridge to the Clocktower. With Weskham having killed all the guards, and with Prompto's codebar, they slipped into the ship without setting off any alarms. "I was unable to find their exact location within the airship," said Weskham as they decided how to proceed. "But, if the airship's designs have not changed, the brigs are located in the front-middle portion of the ship."

Ignis hummed his agreement. "I do not think there have been any major changes to the overall design of Niflheim's airships in the last two decades."

"Then let's go," growled Gladio, shifting impatiently from one foot to the other. "The Glaives are waiting for us."

 **-Noctis-**

The sun hadn't yet risen by the time Noctis stood on the edge of the plaza leading to the Altar. He'd separated from his lovers near Maagho's a short time ago so they might start their own mission. From where he stood, Noctis could see the Altar of the Tidemother with ease. It stood, alone and empty, in the middle of the bay. Countless Niflheim airships filled the skies, a foreboding presence that did nothing to soothe the anxiety that filled Noctis.

"Eager to get started, dear Noct?" Chancellor Izunia's voice filled the air suddenly. Noctis turned sharply and grew tense as the man sauntered towards him. There was still no sign of Lunafreya. Chancellor Izunia chuckled. "Our dear Oracle has gone ahead to prepare for her task. I thought you might like a bit of company… Seeing as your dear companions are not with you."

Noctis glanced over to the Altar at his words but there was still no trace of Luna on it. He turned back to face Niflheim's Chancellor. "They have their own tasks to see to." Noctis paused, briefly contemplated the thought lingering on the edge of his tongue then went with it. "I've been told we share a common ancestor." The Chancellor's eyes focused on Noctis. "So why are you so intent on helping Niflheim in their madness?"

"Ah, I see Ardyn has yet to learn to keep his mouth shut in those moments... No matter, you won't be seeing him again regardless," the Chancellor said with a shrug. A sharp grin made its home on his lips. The Chancellor tipped his hat forward, obscuring his face as the sun rose above the horizon. "As for my involvement with Niflheim…. They are merely a means to an end, you see? I care not for the Emperor's ambition, or their endless conquests. They merely oppose Lucis and that, dear boy, is all that matters to me."

Noctis stared at Chancellor Izunia. There was so many things wrong with what he'd just said! "Why? What has Lucis done to you that you would go to such lengths merely to oppose us?" Noctis demanded, taking half a step towards the Chancellor.

Said Chancellor merely laughed. It was a grating sound, low and broken; tinged with just the barest hint of madness. The laughter stopped abruptly as Chancellor Izunia straightened to his full height, looming over Noctis. The shadow cast by the rising sun seemed to waver and grow. Noctis could have sworn he saw countless red eyes peppering the shadows for a brief moment.

"Oh Noct… Dear, naive, childish Noctis," the Chancellor whispered to Noctis. "How little you know. How little you understand! Truly… Your father did you no favors in his misguided attempt to shield you from your fate." Noctis bristled at that, opened his mouth to retort only to hear a song.

Ignoring Chancellor Izunia, Noctis twisted to look at the Altar. A white figure stood alone on the platform, an airship rising slowly above her to join the fleet waiting for orders. "Luna…" Noctis whispered. He glanced to his side, not quite surprised to find the Chancellor nowhere in sight, before starting to run. He kept a close eye on Luna as she sung the rite.

 **-Prompto-**

It didn't take long for them to realize something was wrong. The halls were empty of life and soldiers. The doors were unlocked, several were half open. "I don't like this." Prompto pushed a door completely open and peered inside. A bunker with clothes strewn across it. A desk with books and an lighted lamp. No one inside.

"Same here." Gladio checked into another room with similar results. By now, they were all growing frowns. "Where is everyone? There should be soldiers! MTs! Someone!"

"You called?" Chancellor Izunia's voice came from behind. The four men twisted to face the threat. Izunia laughed, "Dear me, did I startle you? And yet you are the ones who ask me to show myself. How odd."

Prompto had his gun trained on the Chancellor as soon as he had sight on the man. He was expecting some kind of reaction to his presence but so far… No black out. No paralysis. Only… an burst of energy similar to… Oh! This had happened before! What was going on? Prompto would have liked answers but he did not want to give Chancellor Izunia any chance to be his sleazy self.

Weskham stepped forward, "Chancellor Izunia. To what do we owe this meeting?"

The Chancellor smirked, tipping his hat forward slightly as he replied. "The Ritual has begun and poor dear Noctis is oh-so-lost without his companions. I thought I would help the poor boy by finding his companions for him."

Ignis, Gladio and Prompto tensed up. "If you've harmed him…" growled Gladio taking a step forward.

"Oh no! I would never!" Chancellor Izunia said. He hummed and looked around without a care. "It would appear you have no desire to assist your prince. What fair-weathered friends." He shook his head. "Very well. Since I am unwanted here then I shall leave… Perhaps watching dear Noctis struggle against Leviathan will be entertaining."

 _Bang!_

Izunia's head snapped back. Prompto relaxed his finger from the trigger. "As if, you bas…" His words trailed off as Chancellor Izunia straightened his head. Black blood trailed from the bullet hole in the middle of his eyes.

Izunia tsked as he reached down to grab his hat from the floor. "How rude. And here I was trying to help."

"What the…" Gladio stepped forward, sword in hand.

Chancellor Izunia sighed, placing his hat back on his head. "Very rude indeed. I know when I am not wanted." He gave a mocking bow. "Do beware the lower levels. There are pests about." The lights went out.

They came back on a second later. Chancellor Izunia was gone. The hall was empty again. Gladio still held his sword as he glanced around in search of the Chancellor. "He's gone… Shit! We have to hurry up."

 **-Noctis-**

Golden light surrounded her, growing stronger with each note that left her mouth. The air seemed to shudder as waves grew in size with each succeeding one. Noctis jumped over a railing, warped down to the ground and lost sight of her. None of the soldiers stationed in the streets tried to stop him as he raced to join his friend.

As he reached the nearest boat, Leviathan rose from the sea and spoke. Larger than Titan, Leviathan filled the bay with her body, roaring in anger. Her voice grated in his mind, sending Noctis stumbling to his knees for several precious seconds before he managed to regain his footing and continue forward. He could barely make out Luna shouting over the roar of the giant waves and the thunderous winds.

Luna's words came in snatches over the wind as Noctis tried to maneuvre the boat towards the Altar. "…Darkness from our star…..mercy…shedding…worship!" Whatever Luna was saying, Leviathan definitely did not agree with it. From one moment to the next, Leviathan lunged towards her.

"Luna!" Noctis shouted, pushing the boat to hurry up. He needn't worry as the golden light that surrounded Luna suddenly became a flash of light. Leviathan roared again, this time in pain, as the Tidemother was thrown back. This gave Noctis enough time to reach the Altar. "Luna!" He was relieved to see her standing firm on the Altar, her white dress torn and bloodstained.

Luna flashed him a smile as he joined her in facing Leviathan's fury. "I am glad to see you." She glanced around before returning her gaze on him, worry shining through. "The others?"

"Getting Nyx and the others out of trouble." Noctis answered quickly. Leviathan roared again. The Astral's voice was incomprehensible in her anger.

Luna pressed her lips firmly together at the news. She release a deep breath and faced Leviathan once more. Her trident raised in warning, Lunafreya declared, "Hear me Tidemother, the King Chosen by the Stone stands before you. I beseech you, for the sake of Eos! Grant him your blessing!"

Leviathan attacked.

Noctis grabbed Luna around the waist. Warped unto the closest solid object. Luna stumbled to her knees, retching from the warp. Shattered stones bounced on the barrier he threw up just in time. Leviathan had destroyed the Altar in her rage.

"Ifrit's ass… Are you sure Leviathan is willing to make a covenant?" Noctis muttered. He strengthened the barrier as Leviathan sent miniature versions of herself to attack them.

Luna coughed some more before she managed to speak. "Her hatred blinds her but she will do her duty if you can complete her trial." Noctis nodded his understanding.

He had to warp them again as his barrier shattered. He warped. And warped again. Trying to escape the relentless pursuit from Leviathan's wrath.

For every copy of Leviathan that shattered against the debris, another three took its place. Luna grasped Noct as they moved from one platform to the next.

 **-Prompto-**

"Indeed we should. It seems that our destination may be in the lower decks." Ignis readjusted his glasses, turned around and started down the hall. Gladio growled but followed Ignis' lead as did Prompto.

Weskham glanced at where Izunia had been before following after the others. They headed straight for the lower decks. A large door, protected by manual locks and a series of passwords, blocked the only way to them. Prompto went to the nearest terminal, frowning as he found most of the regular passwords did not open the door.

"Can you open it?" Weskham stood beside Prompto.

Prompto nodded determinately, "Of course I can! I just need to try a few things." Working as quickly as he could, Prompto shifted through the subprograms until he gained access to what he needed. He gave a gleeful whoop as the telling sound of the door unlocking was heard. "You're up, big guy."

Gladio grinned, cracked his knuckle and dealt with the manual locks one by one. The doors' hydraulics only started working once the last manual lock was disengaged. Gladio stepped back as it parted, releasing a thick black cloud that dissipated quickly. "What the hell is that?" Gladio eyed it warily.

The space beyond the door was dark, only red emergency lights appeared to be working. "Daemons… there are daemons in there." Prompto hissed as soon as he felt them.

Ignis glanced at Weskham, eyes gaging the former member of King Regis' retinue. Satisfied by what he saw and his knowledge of Weskham, Ignis asked. "Can you ensure they leave us alone, Prompto? It would save time."

Prompto's eyes widened and darted towards Weskham. "Probably? I would register as the bigger, stronger daemon to obey…" He shifted nervously. "I'd have to change though."

Weskham raised a brow at the odd exchange. Ignis nodded. "Then if you would? Gladio and I will explain to Weskham."

"Explain what exactly, boys?" Ignis and Gladio exchanged glances before coming to stand between Weskham and Prompto.

Taking a deep breath and trusting his boyfriends, Prompto reached to his Scourge-infested side. It answered him quickly.

Opening his eyes to a colorless world, Prompto exhaled heavily. The imps, flans and goblins were calling out in fear as Daemon-Prompto stepped inside the dark corridors. Bright lights moved around, scattering away from the sudden predator that had just appeared.

He was dimly aware of Ignis, of Gladio, of Weskham. He could feel Noctis fighting, pulling magic to a dangerously low level. A mental flick converted the Scourge drifting in the air into crystal magic. Noctis kept fighting.

 **-Noctis-**

The game of dodge them lasted until Noctis hit statis. Fortunately he had been able to bring them both to firm land before his magic ran out. "Noctis!" Luna thrust her trident towards the incoming attack.

Two figures dropped from above. A lance twirled in the sunlight. A rapier shimmered as it moved. Luna and Noct stared as Aranea and Ravus protected them. "Aranea, take Noctis!" Ravus twisted to grab Luna while Aranea did the same with Noctis.

Noctis found himself half-dragged by the Dragoon. They rushed together into the nearest building. Leviathan's rage created waves and winds that battered all of Altissia in its fury. Even the building they were seeking refuge in shook violently.

"Leviathan seems pissed," Aranea joked as they caught their breath.

"Indeed." Ravus glanced over to Noctis. "How do you plan on completing her Trial?"

Noctis shrugged helplessly. "Not…sure…She's a… lot stronger than I expected." Noctis grabbed an ether and broke it, sighing in relief as magic filled his veins again. "I'm not sure how to deal with her other than just attacking her as much as possible but… that doesn't seem like a good tactic."

Aranea shook her head, "With her size, the only chance to hurt her would be attacking her head. Even I can't jump that high without solid footing."

Noctis glanced towards Leviathan's figure, "Any suggestions then?"

Luna gripped her trident tightly. "I can grant you all the Oracle's blessing. It should allow you to fight more effectively against her." The proposal met an immediate end as Noctis, Ravus and Aranea shook their head.

"No. You are still in no condition to sustain such magic." Ravus stated. Noctis nodded beside him. Ravus frowned thoughtfully as he looked toward the Astral. "Did Leviathan say what her Trial was exactly?" Luna shook her head slowly. "How annoying."

"Titan's was a combat but Ramuh's was just searching for way markers. Carbuncle just gave me his and… Oh!" Noctis remembered his discussion with Shiva in his dream. "I just received Shiva's blessing last night! She didn't ask for anything."

They were forced to duck down as one of Leviathan's watery attacks destroyed part of their hideout. "Whatever you want to do, better decide it now!" Aranea said. "Looks like Leviathan is done waiting!" Another attack sent even more of their protection tumbling on their heads.

"Shit! Let's get somewhere safer!" Noct pointed to a restaurant on the other side of canal. Ravus grabbed Luna by the hand, indicated to Aranea to go with Noctis.

The Dragoon grinned and spun her lance before charging forward. Noctis followed her, warping to keep up with the soldier. They were almost halfway there, cutting down the attacking water-copy Leviathans, when Leviathan's shadow covered them. The restaurant exploded as Leviathan roared.

Noctis spun around. Ravus and Luna screamed. The building they had been sheltering in, collapsed.

"Luna!" "Ravus!"

Noctis warped to the rubbles. "Luna! Ravus! Answer me!" He threw stone and bricks aside. Water splashed against his back.

"Watch it!" Aranea protected him. "We can't stay here!"

"No! I can't just leave them!" Noctis threw another brick aside. Flinched as Aranea's lance sent cold water all over him.

"Pretty Boy!" Aranea shouted. Noctis didn't stop digging. "Noctis!" That stopped Noct. Aranea had never called him by his name. Aranea barely had time to glance towards him before she had to destroy the mini-Leviathans. "We can't help them like this!" She told him. "You have a duty! To make a covenant with Leviathan! Then we can help them!"

Noctis shuddered. She was right. Luna had asked him to finish the covenant. No matter what. Noctis got to his feet.

But…. "I can't." He grabbed the threads of his magic, feeling it burn through his body. It was almost too much. Noctis gritted his teeth as he thrust his hands overhead. A wave of blue light exploded outwards from his body.

A barrier, almost a miniature version of the Wall, spread across the district. Noctis dropped to his knees, suddenly gasping for breath. His head throbbed in time with his heart. His joints ached fiercely. _So that how Dad felt…_ The thought passed through Noctis' mind. There was no time to waste.

"Aranea…" Noctis didn't need to finish his thought as Aranea was already moving. Without the threat of attacks from Leviathan, she was free to dig through the rubbles for Ravus and Luna. Aranea used her lance to destroy the larger pieces in moments before turning it upside down and using it to poke through the holes she had created.

"Found them!" Within seconds of work, Aranea had managed to find the two Nox Fleuret and free them from the rubble. "Uh, good reflexes, Ravus." Her comment was caused by the sight of a barrier covering both of them. Ravus glared at her though he refrained from saying anything.

Noctis gave a relieved sigh as Aranea helped them out of the rubble. Ravus was sporting several cuts but Luna had no injuries. As expected from her older brother, he had prioritized her safety over his. "You should lower the Wall before you lose too much strength." Ravus limped over to Noctis, Luna and Aranea following close behind.

Noct shook his head. "Can't… Leviathan...hasn't stopped… her attacks." Every word he said felt like a razor tearing his throat. The Wall held under the constant barrage of attacks but it drained Noctis more and more. Without the Ring, without the help of the Crystal, maintaining such a spell was too much to ask of Noctis' body.

Taking the barrier down was not an option either. The area around Noctis' Wall was now filled with water. To drop the Wall would mean being drowned under its weight. Noctis had no choice but to hold the spell for as long as he could and hope someone would come to help before it was too late.

He reached for an ether. Nothing. There was no ether. No potions. No remedies… Someone had emptied it out.

 **-Prompto-**

"Prompto?" Ignis called out carefully. Prompto looked over his shoulder at the blue-threaded man. "May we continue safely?" Daemon-Prompto nodded.

With his help, they walked unhindered by the smaller cowering daemons. Daemon-Prompto kept eating the floating Scourge. Kept fueling Noctis' fight.

It made him hungry. For the daemons chattering out of reach. Hungry for the warm glow of Crystal magic running through his boyfriends.

Prompto wrestled with the feeling, tamping it down as they hurried through the halls. Down one level after the other. Calling for the Glaives as they traversed the airship.

Finally they found a level with functioning lights. Daemon-Prompto flinched as the artificial light burnt him. Gladio reached out to hold Prompto's hand gently. "Time to come back Sunshine. Need any help?" Prompto gave him a wavering smile, squeezed his hand, and pushed Daemon-Prompto to the back of his mind.

The world was bright, too bright, at first. Gladio gently steered Prompto forward until he could see again. Weskham frequently glanced at Prompto as they walked but said nothing. It was making him nervous but this wasn't the time to talk.

They found Pelna first. Unconscious, with half-treated cuts and bruises but alive. Libertus was in the same room, in a similar condition, behind a thick blue hospital curtain. As Weskham and Ignis moved to free the two from their restraints, Prompto took a look at the tray of syringes on the counter.

"Guys? These have Scourge in them." Prompto knew it the moment he touched them. The black liquid that filled them was undoubtedly Scourge. Thankfully the syringes looked unused, and neither Ignis nor Weskham found needle marks on either glaive.

Ignis reached for two potions. The lights flickered. Dozens of flasks appeared in midair to bounce or shatter on the floor. "What the..?" Gladio swirled to stare at the mess of broken glass and spilt concoctions. "What just happened?"

Ignis held two potions in hand, stared at the rapidly evaporating liquid and stuttered. "I…. I don't… I don't understand."

"Do you still have access to the Prince's magic?" Weskham demanded as he left Libertus on the bed and moved to stand before Ignis.

Fear sparked by the words, Ignis reached for his daggers. Their familiar weight filled his open palm. Three relieved sighs echoed Ignis'. He tried to send the potions back. They remained firmly on his other hand. Ignis paled as he understood that somehow, for some reason, the portion of Noctis' armiger that kept their restorative was empty and no longer accessible to anyone.

Noctis was truly on his own.

 **-Noctis-**

Luna helped as much as she could, despite Noctis and Ravus trying to convince her to just rest. Ravus and Aranea tried to figure out a way past the mass of seawater waiting to collapse on them. Noctis could barely think as he put everything he had, everything he was, into a single thing.

Keep the Wall up.

It was heavy.

It was painful.

 **-Prompto-**

They hurried to use the potions on the two glaives, hoping they would be able to tell them where Nyx and Crowe were being held. Unfortunately, even as the two woke, they were no closer to finding the other glaives.

Ignis looked over at Gladio and Prompto, mind whirling as he considered their options. Leave Libertus, Pelna and Weskham to continue the search so they could go help their beloved? Or continue on in their mission and trust that Aranea would be enough backup for Noctis?

The answer came in the form of a fireball exploding in their midst. Libertus and Pelna barely managed to form shields to protect the others before it reduced most of the things inside the room to ashes.

As smoke filled the room, the group was forced into the corridors of the airship. Lightning struck as they turned in the direction of the staircase. They were being herded!

Fireballs and lightning forced them forward into a brightly lit hangar. A single figure stood, motionless, in the middle of it.

"Nyx!?" Libertus exclaimed, taking a single step forward towards his friend. It was the only movement he made before being thrown forward by a lightning bolt to the back. Pelna whirled and raised a shield just in time to block a fireball.

Cackling laughter told them who was responsible. As did the emerging figure through the lingering flames. "Crowe? What in Ifrit's name is going on?" Pelna choked out, eyes fixed on the best mage of Lucis.

Nyx warped to the middle of their group, kukris flashing as he attacked Gladio. It was blocked by Weskham. Prompto hissed as he got a good look at Nyx.

His eyes were completely black.

A quick glance at Crowe, eyes illuminated by her own flames; confirmed his fear. "It's the controlling parasite! They've been infected!" Nyx reacted to Prompto's words by kicking out at Weskham. It was blocked once more but doing so gave Nyx the perfect support to flip backwards and out of Gladio's swing.

"Shit!" Gladio swore as Nyx dodged and Pelna's shield started to break. "What do we do?"

They had come here to save the four glaives. Now, they were fighting two of them.

Prompto took aim above Crowe and fired. His bullet exploded into bright light that forced her and Nyx to cover their eyes in pain. Libertus, back on his feet and swearing more and more by the second, took the opportunity to retreat with Ignis.

This couldn't continue.

Fighting Nyx and Crowe, two of the best fighters in the Kingsglaive, while trying not to cause major injuries, was unsustainable. Ignis had a major cut across his brow that bled into his eye. Gladio's arm had been dislocated and relocated twice already. Weskham was trying to protect them all and Prompto was running out of bullets.

There was an obvious answer to this mess. One that would be unpleasant and make them all mad at him but… what choice did they have? Noctis was still fighting, nearer to stasis with each passing second. They needed to go to him.

Prompto swallowed drily as he contemplated what he was about to do. Allowed his guns to fade back into Noctis' magic. Opened his mouth in the face of concerned shouts, and said.

"Go straight to Noct. Got it?"

He didn't wait for an answer. He simply opened the door to Daemon-Prompto and invited him to take full and complete control.

His vision narrowed to the blue light of the Crystal magic and the ever-appetizing Scourge that was entwined with it. His skin burnt and bubbled under the lights. It didn't matter. He could eat and heal to his heart's content now.

The not-so-appetizing but still yummy figures moved out of his way as he walked towards his meal. Who tried to attack him. He laughed. How pathetic to think his food could harm him.

He reached out and grasped them by their closest limb. And started feeding. The Scourge resisted, not wanting to leave its hosts but He was stronger. A part of the blue light broke off from the rest, attached to the Scourge too tightly to escape His feeding.

Ah… how good did it taste! The warmth of life, of pure energy filled Him. A small lingering part of His host tugged at Him. With a scuff He did as it asked, turning the excess into blue light for the Host's lover.

He dropped the two empty morsels to the ground and turned towards his next feeding ground. There were so many waiting to be eaten. He was going to be well fed. Another tug and He sighed. Yes, the excess would be sent to the boy. There would be plenty of that.

He stepped into the dark halls and grinned. Time to eat.

 **-Noctis-**

It was…. easy?

From one moment to the next, the weight lifted from his shoulders. Noctis took a deep, satisfying breath. His body thrummed with power. "Noctis?" Luna jerked back as blue lightning appeared on him. Noctis stood up. He raised his hand above his head. The Wall answered.

It exploded outwards, pushing the water away. Leviathan roared. Luna dropped to her knees in pain. Noctis dropped the spell and got ready to fight.

Leviathan was gone. A tsunami was about to crash on Altissia. Noctis reforged the Wall as big as he could make it.

PAIN!

Blackness…

 **-Prompto-**

He fed and fed and fed, until there was no more food for Him to feed on. Not inside the metal can. But outside…. Outside still had food! He was in control! He could go out!

Instinct guided his steps. Hunger told Him what to do.

Two not-Scourge but still tasty figures stood in His way. "Come on Prompto. It is time to return to us," said one.

"You heard Specs, Sunshine. Time for you to come home," the other said.

He started to laugh and stepped forward. Something broke above Him. Sunlight shone on Him.

Prompto screamed.

Blackness.

A/N: #Sorry not sorry XD

I hope you enjoyed this long chapter! Next one will be from Ignis and Gladio's POV and then there will only be the epilogue left!


	74. Chapter 74

**Ignis POV**

Leaving Prompto in the lower levels had been one of the hardest decisions Ignis had to make. He was well aware that Daemon-Prompto would be safe from the other daemons wandering the halls but there were other dangers to consider. On the other hand, he had to help get the glaives out.

Going back to the clocktower would be too time-consuming, especially with Nyx and Crowe still unconscious. They headed for the command center instead. It, like all the other rooms, was empty except for uniforms strewn about. Pelna shifted Crowe over to Gladio and went to work on the control panel.

It didn't take much time before the room lit up and the rumble of the airship engine grew louder. "Okay, I'm not sure how well I can control this thing but I'll do my best," Pelna said, glancing over his shoulder at the rest of the group. "Where should I go?"

Weskham pointed at Leviathan. "To help Prince Noctis." There was no argument there. Pelna nodded and tilted the control forward. There was a bit of resistance at first before it suddenly gave way and the airship jerked forward.

As they approached the battle ground, they were able to see the destruction Leviathan was causing as she flooded the area around the Altar. Water-formed Leviathans swam through the air, destroying everything they touched indiscriminately. "Noctis!" A solid blue light shone through the water.

Gladio growled, "Where's the nearest door out? He needs help!" Ignis agreed with him but how could they help Noctis? The whole area was flooded and Leviathan's continued destruction would make any approach extremely dangerous.

Pelna opened his mouth to answer. The blue light exploded outwards. It burst out, pushing aside the water. The airship shook, throwing everyone around, as the water became a wave high enough to catch the airship in its wake. Ignis felt large hands grab him by the waist and draw him towards Gladio's body.

Ignis pushed himself up as soon as the airship stopped rocking. Gladio groaned beneath him. A quick check revealed a dislocated shoulder, again, and several new bruises. "I'm fine. Noct?" The Shield grumbled when Ignis moved to help.

Ignis glanced outside and hissed. A large blue barrier, larger than anything a single one person should be able to make on their own, covered a large part of the plaza. It was larger than any barrier Ignis had seen outside of the Wall itself.

Much too large to be from a single person…. He hoped.

Ignis wasted no time as he moved to the nearest control panel. They needed to get down there to help Noctis, Aranea and whoever else was helping with the barrier. He could hear that Nyx and Crowe were now awake but none of that mattered as he dug into the system for a map.

Only to find the security feed from the lower levels. Ignis stopped breathing as he watched Daemon-Prompto leave the lower levels with slow, deliberate steps. Oh by the Six, nothing could go right! Ignis glanced towards everyone, and forming a quick plan in his mind, checked it twice for deadly flaws before he spoke.

"Prompto is heading away from the lower levels. We can't let him roam around freely as he is." Ignis ignored the confused looks Nyx and Crowe sent him. "Gladio and I will go intercept him. I leave helping Noctis to all of you." He received a sharp nod from Weskham. That would do for now. Ignis grabbed Gladio and headed for the upper levels.

They intercepted Prompto in some kind of atrium. Ignis called out to him, hoping that would be enough to bring their boyfriend back. Hoping that their sweet sunshine hadn't over extended his reach and turned fully into a daemon. Gladio chimed in, his tone light and teasing even though he was everything but.

Glass shattered. Ignis looked up in surprise as sunlight flooded the room. Water splashed down as Prompto screamed. Ignis distantly noticed several things at once. Leviathan was no longer towering above the city. A wave, towering higher than the airship, was crashing down on them.

A semi-solid wave of blue light.

Freefall.

Ignis summoned his polearm, digging it into the nearest metal surface as the world rolled on itself. "Gladio! Prompto!" He reached out towards them. Something heavy hit him.

Blackness.

Ignis woke back up, half submerged in water. For several seconds, he could not figure out where he was or how he'd ended up there. Until a voice spoke. "Umm… I knew the boy was special… But did not expect this at all."

Izunia!

Ignis pushed himself upright and the world twisted on itself again. Ignis swallowed convulsively against the nausea. A hand patted his cheek twice before coming to rest against his scalp. "Tut tut, dear boy. Surely you know better than to try to move suddenly with a concussion?" the Chancellor said loudly, making Ignis wince. "Let me help." A flash of red light and the pain stopped, as did the nausea.

Ignis twisted around, the Chancellor stood beside Prompto and Gladio. Both appeared to be unconscious and, thankfully, were out of the water. Ignis slowly got up, keeping an eye on Chancellor Izunia as he did. He took a chance and asked, "What do you want?"

Izunia kept his gaze firmly on Prompto. Ignis hated the look in the man's eyes. It was predatory. And Prompto was the prey. Ignis stepped closer carefully. The Chancellor finally looked away from Prompto and Ignis stopped moving.

"For someone who is supposed to have the best interests of the Prince at heart, you seem rather unconcerned by his fate." Izunia's words were a dagger to his heart but Ignis refused to show weakness.

He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, before he said anything. "I trust Prince Noctis to be safe. He was not alone and my companions have, by now, reached his side." Ignis hoped so anyways. The only answer he received was a huff from the Chancellor.

"Why are you here?" Ignis tried being blunt. That might get a reaction from Izunia that would tell him more about the situation in Altissia. "I'd have expected you to be trying to kill Leviathan rather than lounging around here."

Ignis couldn't breathe around the tight grip Izunia suddenly had on his throat. A furious scowl filled his field of vision. "That bratty prince FAILED! Despite all the help he had! Despite my own assistance! HE FAILED!" Izunia roared in Ignis' face, ignoring the hands trying to pry his grip away.

Ignis' vision started to black out as he suffocated. His mind was caught between shock at the news and panic towards his slow death. He wasn't strong enough to free himself from the Chancellor. As his vision darkened more and more, his thoughts growing fuzzy, and with his lungs screaming for air; Ignis summoned a lance to him.

A wet cough was followed by Ignis finally being able to breathe. He gulped down air through his burning throat as he staggered back a few steps. His left hand still gripped his lance, something warm flowing along it and dripping to the ground. Ignis was met by the sight of his lance piercing through the Chancellor's chest, black blood running out of the wound.

For a moment Ignis thought he'd killed the Chancellor. Then Izunia gripped the lance, his face dripping black ichor. "You little…" Ignis jumped back as a red flash slashed towards his throat.

His lance disappeared back into the armiger. Ignis drew his daggers just in time. Chancellor Izunia was much stronger than he appeared. Ignis was thrown back, rolling up the slanted floor until he managed to get his feet under him. Gladio and Prompto's unconscious bodies were right behind him.

"I wonder…" Ignis felt a shiver down his spine at Izunia's words. The Chancellor watched Ignis, his eyes tinged with red and black. "How would the Prince react if you were no longer by his side?" The words seemed half muttered for Izunia's sake rather than Ignis'. The next ones were much more direct. Izunia stepped forward, a terrifying grin turned towards Ignis. "What do you think Ignis Scientia? Would your disappearance by my hand hurt your dear Prince more than the loss of his father? Hmm?"

Ignis tensed and brought his daggers in front of him.

"Let's test it out, shall we?"

Before Ignis could move, the world shifted under his feet. Colors blurred together before refocusing as grey walls, red blinking lights, and white and red banners of Niflheim's Empire. Ignis' mind went blank. What had just happened? Was this real? Or perhaps one of the Chancellor's illusions? Like the ones Noctis experienced at the motel?

Where was Izunia?

Ignis didn't dare move. If this was but an illusion then Gladio and Prompto were still only a few feet behind him. If this wasn't then… Ignis looked around. He was surrounded by crates, stacked one atop the others. The ceiling was high above him and the… Cargo area? was illuminated only by barely visible red lights. Where exactly was this?

A label on a box answered his question. **Zegnautus Keep** … "By the Six…" Ignis really hoped this was an illusion. He closed his eyes and reached out blindly, focusing only on his sense of touch. If this was an illusion then he should not touch anyt… His hand brushed freezing metal.

"Fu…" Ignis opened his eyes. This was not an illusion. This was real! Ignis needed to get out of here. He needed to contact Noctis. Needed to make sure his beloved boyfriends were safe and unharmed. Ignis reached for his phone. No bars, no accessible signal of any kind. "Shit."

Ignis felt his breath hitched as panic started to rise. He forced himself to focus on his breath until it was manageable. He needed a plan. First things first, Ignis needed to find a control center. He'd figure out the rest once there.

Ignis turned towards the closest door. "Leaving so soon?" Izunia's voice whispered into his ear. Ignis threw himself into a forward flip. Air whooshed where he'd been standing.

Chancellor Izunia stood mere feet away, a large scythe in hand. He smiled. "And here I was about to start having fun." He swung his scythe toward Ignis' neck.

Ignis jumped back. The scythe nicked his throat. A thin river of blood trickled down, staining his collar. Izunia twirled his weapon effortlessly. "I wonder how long you can continue dodging... " He warped forward and swung once more.

Ignis flipped over the swing. Only to get kicked in the back and sent flying against a large cargo container. Breath forced out of his lungs, Ignis didn't have time to breathe as he was forced to roll out of the way of Izunia's attack.

Again and again and again, Ignis defended against the Chancellor's relentless attacks. It was utterly frustrating. He was being toyed with! Had Izunia truly wanted to kill him, Ignis would have been powerless to stop him.

Ignis jumped out of the way of another of the Chancellor's attacks. He twisted back to face his opponent. A gun shot rang out. "Ignis! This way!" Ignis froze. That voice! Could it be? A series of gunshots rang out, one after the other. Ignis wasted no time as he ran towards the voice.

A hand shot out from between containers and yanked him into the narrow space. Daggers came up in defense but were quickly dropped as Ignis recognized the person in front of him. "Mrs. Sylva?" A quick smile in reply.

There was no time to talk and Prompto's mother clearly knew that. She grabbed Ignis by the wrist and pulled him towards the other end of the narrow passage. He was glad a competent adult had shown up… Even if Ignis was an adult, this was a situation clearly above his depth. They ran through containers.

Ignis was pulled from his thoughts, thoughts of Noctis and Gladio and Prompto, by the sound of a door hissing shut behind him. Sylva dropped his hand, jumped to the card reader and slid something through it. The door made a strange, angry hissing sound. Ignis heard something snap. "This won't hold him for long but…" She thrust something into Ignis' stunned hands. "You need to get this to Noctis, got it?"

Ignis nodded by reflex. He dropped his gaze to look at what she had given him. It was a ring. It was _**the**_ ring. His head snapped back up, eyes wide as Sylva's words registered fully. "What about yourself? Prompto and your husband are both worried about you!"

Sylva smiled grimly. "Someone has to buy you time."

"What? No! I cannot allow you to.." Ignis was stopped by a finger against his lips. Sylva smiled sadly at him. Ignis closed his fist around the Ring of the Lucii. It was cold and heavy in his palm. The door shuddered before Ignis could say anything, argue against her plan.

"Go! Now!" Sylva turned to face the door, gun rising to point directly at it. "Keep going right until you see a white dot by a left turning corridor. Take it and you'll find yourself outside. Take any of the airships and get back to Lucis."

Ignis gritted his teeth. Opened his mouth to say something, anything at all! A red line appeared through the door. The boom of the upper half sliding to the ground making Ignis tense up. Three rapid gunshots. "Ignis! Go!" A hand shoved him. He turned and ran.

Gunshots continued behind him for several seconds before suddenly stopping. Ignis forced himself to think of one thing and only one thing. Get out of here alive.

He reached the first crossroad. No white dot greeted him so he took the right passage without slowing down. The keep was eerily empty, just as the airship in Altissia had been empty. A red barrier cut him off. A voice, low and amused called out to Ignis. "I don't believe I gave you permission to leave yet."

Ignis tightened his grip on the Ring, the cold so intense it felt like it was burning him through his glove. He turned around slowly. Faced the horror that was Chancellor Izunia, standing unharmed in the middle of the hall.

"I do not need your permission," retorted Ignis. He hoped that Prompto's mother was still alive but… He could privately admit to it being a very low possibility. His thoughts refocused on the Chancellor. He had to find a way to get out of Zegnautus Keep. The ring grew even colder.

"Ah! But you are a guest, my guest, in this humble Keep. It would be remiss of me to let you leave so early." Chancellor Izunia clearly enjoyed the situation. "Now, then," - he spun his scythe in his hand - "shall we continue where we left off?"

Ignis took a deep breath. The ring pulsed in his hand. He could think of only a single solution to his problems. He would most certainly die from his plan but… the ring needed to be returned to Noctis or King Regis. That was his duty.

Ignis' head snapped to face Izunia straight on. He would not cower before any enemy, be they of Noctis, Lucis, or Eos. His hand rose to chest level, slowly opening to reveal the Ring of the Lucii. "Unfortunately for you, Chancellor, my presence is required elsewhere." He slid the ring on.

The world burned and turned still. Izunia stood immobilized, caught in mid-warp towards Ignis. Whispers filled his ears. Pain, of a magnitude he had never experienced before, radiated from the ring. Ignis forced himself to speak.

"Kings of Yore! I seek not to use the ring for my own sake but for the sake of the Chosen King, your descendant! I wish only to return to his side and accomplish the mission entrusted to me! Please! Grant me your power! Allow me to return to His side!"

The pain intensified even more, if that was possible, and Ignis felt a scream being torn out of his throat. A voice, low and amused, whispered, "We shall grant you our Power for a price. Do not fail." Time started again and Ignis found himself surrounded by white crystal Arms he had only ever seen the line of Lucis wield. Izunia snarled as his scythe was blocked by a white sword.

Ignis barely felt the strike, a startling contrast to earlier. The pain had become fire that burned through his veins, scorching and threatening to devour Ignis alive. His vision was sharper and yet tinged with red and purple.

Ignis kicked out but Izunia was quick enough to get out of the way. That was fine. Ignis wasn't planning on fighting. He wanted to leave this place. To return to Noctis. To Gladio. To Prompto. Ignis channeled the magic he received from the ring into ice and thunder. The chancellor ignored the magic Ignis was forming and rushed forward to attack him.

Ignis sidestepped the straightforward attack and slammed both magic spheres against his back. Ice and lightning mixed together. The hall filled with mist. Ignis ran. Back towards the cargo bay. Back towards where Sylva had tried to hold Chancellor Izunia back.

He took three steps forward. Warmth exploded through his back. Ignis stumbled to the ground. His legs held no strength. Ignis tried to push himself back up. A foot smashed against his back, pinning him back down. "What a foolish thing to do." The force on his back increased. "Are you so eager to die?"

Ignis felt only one thing. Pain. His blood boiled in his veins. The King of Yore screamed in his mind. He could not move his legs. Could not feel them at all. Sticky warmth slowly spread around his waist. Izunia was talking but the words were not registering in Ignis' mind.

He had to get back to Noctis. He could not die here without seeing Prompto's smile again or feel Gladio's hugs. He… had…to….

As his vision faded piece by piece, Ignis dimly wondered why it was so cold. His breath appeared white or maybe it was…Snow?

The force on his back lifted. "Why? Why are you here?" Izunia sounded panicked. Ignis wondered why. He tried pushing himself up. Pain flared. Ignis collapsed. A soft bark and wet tongue pulled his mind away from the pain.

A dog? In Zegnautus Keep? Had he suffered a head injury? Was this an illusion? A frozen hand touched his back. The pain grew numb. His vision darkened even more as the burn of the ring increased. Something tugged at his shoulder. A voice overpowered those of the Kings of Yore and whispered, "Return to where you belong."

The world burned. And… Ignis froze.

 **Gladio POV**

Gladio was quite tired of waking in pain. Since Insomnia had been taken by Niflheim, he'd woken up with sore muscles and screaming aches more times than not. Gladio groaned as he opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was water a few feet from him. He pushed himself up, hissing as his shoulder protested the movement. The pain was forgotten as he spotted Prompto, twisted into an uncomfortable position, lying beside him. "Prompto!" And then, "IGNIS!"

Covered in white and red, Ignis was face-down on the metal floor. Bright crimson spread from the middle of Ignis' back in an uneven circle. Gladio dropped to his side, hands hovering over his beloved. The injury on Ignis' back was deep and very serious. It was also frozen in clear ice that exuded cold.

Gladio panicked as he pressed his finger to Ignis' neck. "Thank the Six…" He sighed in relief at the pulse that he felt under his fingertip. He glanced over Ignis, wincing at the numerous burns that spread across his face, neck and… His eyes followed the burns until they came to rest on the black ring resting on his finger. "That's.." Gladio choked as he recognized it.

What was going on? How had Ignis come to have the Ring of the Lucii? Why was he wearing it? Gladio gently removed the ring and, after a moment of hesitation, put it into the armory. He glanced back at Ignis, at his injuries, and quickly proceeded to tear his shirt into strips for bandages.

He used them to cover the burns as best he could. Ignis' left eye had massive burns around it. The injury on his back was worrisome, it looked deep and Gladio saw shards of white among the red. The ice was doing more than any bandages Gladio could conjure up with what he had on hand. "Hold on, Iggy." He double checked his first aid. It would hold for now.

Gladio hurried over to Prompto. There were no obvious injuries but Gladio still checked carefully before trying to wake him up. Other than red, almost-sunburnt skin, Prompto seemed fine. Yet he refused to wake at Gladio's touch.

Gladio was worried. Ignis was badly injured, Prompto wasn't waking up, and Noctis was somewhere out of his reach. He hoped Nyx and the rest of his group had found their Prince. "Calm down, Gladio. Noctis is fine." He summoned his phone to confirm it and check if he could make a call. No luck on that side as the phone showed no bars. Gladio hissed and slid the phone into his back pocket. "First things first. Ignis and Prompto need medical attention."

He considered how to best move the two without causing them further harm. It took some time, time he could not truly afford; but in the end, Gladio managed to strap Prompto on his back while hoisting Ignis in his arms. It left them vulnerable if someone attacked them but it was the best he could do.

Gladio would have to be very careful until he found somewhere safe to leave his lovers.

Getting out of the airship proved both harder and easier than Gladio expected. The airship was empty but also wrecked beyond his expectations. With balancing Prompto on his back and Ignis in his arms, Gladio had to be incredibly careful as he walked through the uneven halls. Gladio found an exit and saw the airship had crashed by the Totomostro.

The moment Gladio stepped out into the sunlight, his phone exploded with messages. It startled him and he almost dropped Ignis at the shrill sounds. "Over there!" Shit! Gladio jumped back into the airship. He had no idea if the voices came from Niflheim soldier or the Altissian guards but he wasn't going to risk Ignis or Prompto on such a gamble.

Four soldiers in Niflheim colors came into view. Three clones and a single human soldier. Gladio pressed himself out of sight and considered his options. He could drop Ignis and Prompto out of sight and take the soldiers out. Or he could stay hidden until they left.

There was no hesitation. Gladio slowed his breath and watched as the soldiers moved about in a search pattern. Seconds felt like minutes as Gladio watched them get gradually closer to where they were. If they got any closer…. "Requesting back-up at point 2B! Contact lost with stationed guards." The sudden call for reinforcements stopped their approach. The human soldier motioned for the clones to follow him and walked away.

Gladio waited until he was certain they had left the area before he dared leave the safety of the airship. "Wonder what happened… Doesn't matter. It got them away from us," he muttered as he knelt, gently allowing Ignis to rest partially on the ground as he fished out his phone. Ten messages from Crowe, and a single voicemail from an unknown number. The voicemail could wait, Gladio had to find out if Noctis was safe.

Gladio scrolled through the messages quickly. The glaives had reached Noctis without trouble only to find him unconscious. Noctis had a few minor injuries but it appeared that he'd passed from extreme stasis. Lunafreya appeared to be similarly unconscious though no one could figure out why. Gladio hissed as he read that Noctis had summoned a wall to surround Altissia after Leviathan disappeared.

Their group was heading towards the First Secretary's manor. Gladio checked on Ignis and Prompto quickly. No change in their condition. Even the ice that bandaged Ignis was unchanged. Gladio wasted no time in calling Crowe. "Crowe?"

"Gladio! Thank the Six, you're alright. Where are you? What happened?"

Gladio kept an eye to his surrounding as he spoke. "The airship crashed. Not sure what happened but Ignis is badly injured, and Prompto won't wake up. We're by the arena."

Crowe swore, spoke quickly to someone else before she told Gladio, "Can you make your way to the Totomostro? Aranea is heading your way. She'll grab her airship and meet you there. Altissia got wrecked by Leviathan and the majority of the canals are unusable."

Gladio glanced over to the Totomostro, casting its shadows over the area. He shifted Ignis closer to his body as he gauged the distance. "Should be able to." He paused then asked, "What about Dad and Cor? Did they…?"

"We haven't heard anything from them yet."

Gladio gritted his teeth and sent a quick prayer to the Six. "Alright. Keep Noctis safe understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

The call ended and Gladio pocketed the phone once more. He shuffled Ignis back into his arms and got up. Time to move. "Okay. Let's go meet with Aranea."

The footing was slightly better than within the ship but the sidewalks and roads were ruined. Between the uneven cobblestone and debris from the ruined buildings, Gladio slowed down to a crawl as he shuffled between intact pieces of roads and climbing over mounds of rubble. The arena hadn't been far but the ruined roads forced Gladio to take a long way around.

As he looked around at the destruction Leviathan had wrought upon her favorite city, Gladio couldn't help but frown. MT armors lay strewn at almost every corner that hadn't been washed away by Leviathan's rage. The armor was still intact and bore no trace of the usual explosion that followed the death of the daemonified clone inside. "What exactly did Noctis do?" It was the only explanation he could come up with.

He'd noticed that there were no airships in the sky since he'd started walking. Gladio figured it was due to the same thing that had caused theirs to crash. He was more worried about Noctis using so much magic at once. Especially since he didn't have the ring nor the Crystal to help him diffuse the burden to a manageable level.

He hoped Noctis had at least managed to forge the covenant with Leviathan. It was the only way to make sense of the destruction he saw around him. As Gladio neared the Totomostro, he started coming across Niflheim patrols. It forced him to slow down even more as he waited for each patrol to move out of sight.

The Totomostro itself seemed mostly intact as Gladio entered it with his precious cargo. He could hear the beasts fighting and screeching below the sand. He was relieved that none of them appeared to have escaped their cages. That would have been a mess none of them needed.

Gladio headed to one of the VIP lounges. It would have a first aid kit and offer better protection should the Niffs make an appearance. He gently placed Ignis and Prompto on some of the plush seats, checked on Ignis' injuries, and tried to wake either of them up again. Neither budged from their unconsciousness.

He sighed and looked around the lounge. A small fridge full of drinks, some snacks and finally a very basic first aid kit. Gladio grabbed it, opened it and found half of it was expired. "Damn it…" None one of the items Gladio needed to help Ignis' injuries was okay to use.

Gladio dropped to the ground between Ignis and Prompto. He felt restless and wasn't sure what he could do to help them. It grated on his nerves. Gladio was an Amicitia; a Shield to protect others and yet here he was, the only one not seriously injured while all of his boyfriends were either injured or unconscious.

He hated feeling so powerless. Gladio had fought Gilgamesh! He'd trained with Cor and his dad until he couldn't any longer. And yet… Gladio shook his head. He wasn't going to go there. He couldn't change what had happened, couldn't have predicted being knocked out by an airship crash but he could make sure he was by his boyfriends as they recovered.

They had already decided to walk their own path, regardless of what the Astrals ordained. Gladio was going to ensure their safety as they recovered, no matter how long it took. Even if it meant watching Eos burn. He'd made his choice. Gladio reached out to hold Ignis and Prompto's hands, giving them a gentle squeeze as he promised. "You'll be okay. All three of you. I promise." He shifted to be a bit more comfortable and waited.

An airship, looking quite battered, appeared above the Arena. Gladio tensed, half rising as he waited to see what came out of its appearance. He relaxed as a familiar figure jumped out of it and landed in the middle of the sand.

Aranea grinned as she dusted off the sand her landing had sent up in a cloud. "Hey Big Guy. Heard you could use a lift."

Gladio grinned back, tension disappearing as the Dragoon jumped up to the lounge. "Nice to see ya too."

Her smile dropped as soon as she laid eyes on Ignis. "Shit. How in Eos is he still alive?" She knelt by his side, examining the burns and the ice-covered hole in his back. "I've got some elixirs in my ship. Let's hurry up." She picked Ignis in her arms and waited for Gladio to do the same with Prompto.

Biggs had managed to lower the ship until it was almost to their level. Wedge stood by the open cargo door, a red-and-white first aid kit already in hand. Aranea jumped up first and Gladio followed more carefully.

The door closed behind them and the airship rose back up. Gladio tightened his grip on Prompto. They were going to be alright. They had to be.

A/N: One more chapter to go!


	75. Epilogue

_Noctis walked through the sylleblossom field without a care. The sea of blue flowers swayed under the light wind and made him feel like he was on a boat. There was no one around; something that struck Noctis as odd but he shrugged it away and kept walking._

 _The peaceful atmosphere changed abruptly. Lightning struck the ground, inches away from him, blinding and deafening Noctis for several seconds. The air grew freezing cold and his next, fumbling step landed in ankle deep water._

 _When the spots in his eyes cleared, Noctis found himself surrounded by the Astrals. Titan stood at his full height towards his left with Ramuh floating just to Titan's right. Leviathan writhed by Titan's other side and a huge figure in armor stood right in front of Noctis. Shiva's presence, amidst cold freezing wind, came from behind._

 _The piercing gaze of Bahamut pinned Noctis to the ground with its intensity. He could do nothing except shiver as Leviathan's screeching voice filled the air. Whatever the Tidemother had declared was not well received by the other Astrals as they too spoke._

 _The overlapping voices of the Astrals were migraine-inducing. Noctis clutched his head as he tried not to collapse to the ground. He could not understand what they were saying. Leviathan roared, her tail whipping through the air. Ramuh answered in a crack of lightning._

 _Then, in a voice louder and clearer than all the others, Bahamut spoke. " **Enough. I have heard enough.** " Piercing eyes focused on Noctis. " **Chosen King of the Crystal, your worth has been called into question. The Tidemother accuses you of being tainted and unfit to wield our might. What say you to this accusation?** "_

 _Noctis waited until his ears stopped ringing before he straightened to stand before the Bladekeeper. "What in the world are you talking about?" snapped Noctis. "Tainted? Tainted by what? The Scourge? Or maybe the fact that I realized just how screwed up your prophecy is?"_

 _Noctis had to stop himself from flinching as his words provoked Leviathan and Titan into anger. Their voices intermingled into a painfully overwhelming sound that ripped through Noctis eardrums. He dug his fingers into his palms and stared at Bahamut._

 _The guardian Astral of his family stood before him. The Astral who asked, and received, the lives of his ancestors by bestowing the Crystal upon the Lucis Caelums. The one who ordered Luna's death through her devotion._

 _Noctis wasn't going to allow such a bastard to accuse him of anything, regardless of his so-called divinity. Not after everything Bahamut had caused._

 _"Beware your words, Chosen King." Bahamut moved for the first time since appearing in front of Noctis. Wings made of countless blades opened behind his back. Bahamut shifted his grip on his sword. "You stand before your Gods! You stand accused of using power from a tainted source! Of allowing one unfit to exist to stand by your side and taint you by its presence within your magic! What say you to these accusations?"_

 _Noctis had no idea who they were talking about and, honestly, was beyond caring. His answer to the Astrals was neither eloquent nor elegant. A single raised finger clearly said what needed to be said. He was prepared for the furious reaction that followed and refused to flinch as Bahamut took to the sky, blades dancing around him only to end up pointed at Noctis._

 _Noctis grinned as he reached for his magic. Bahamut wanted a fight? So be it. Noctis would gladly show them just how much his family had taught him._

 _Or he would have except Noctis couldn't reach his magic. Instead, Noctis felt something bite into his palm. A burning pain quickly took over his arm. Noctis glanced at it. Black writhing flesh met his gaze. Bahamut bellowed something Noctis ignored. The swords rushed towards him._

 _A shrill cry. A blinding red light._

 _Noctis landed on his back, breath lost to the fall. He took gulps of fresh air and looked towards his chest, where a small weight sat. Carbuncle tilted his head slightly as Noctis met his gaze, as if asking if Noctis was alright._

 _Noctis groaned as he dropped his head back to the ground. He was unsurprised when a rough tongue licked his cheek while his phone buzzed. Noctis brought up his arm, blinking as he saw it was fine, and checked the message he'd received._

 _Noctis! Are you hurt?_ _An emoji of Carbuncle looking worried followed. Noctis dropped his arm with a sigh. "I'm fine, Carbuncle. Thank you." After a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart, Noctis sat up to look at his surroundings._

 _"This is…." Noctis whispered as he took in the watery ceiling and deep blue banners. His phone chirped again as Carbuncle brushed against his side. It was the only place I could think of where you would be safe. A second later, another message. I'm being called back. Stay as long as you'd like, no one can come here without my invitation or Theirs. _

_Noctis gave a smile, "Thank you for saving me back there, Carbuncle. Will you be alright? The Astrals didn't look happy." The small Astral patted Noctis' arm softly. Don't worry about me! They can't hurt me! And with that, Carbuncle jumped into the air, flipped mid-air and was gone._

 _Noctis stood and started walking around. The school looked just as amazing as his previous visit. Blue reflections glistened against the stone walls like living shadows. Noctis enjoyed the peace of the living dream until someone interrupted the silence._

 _"Ah! There you are, Son of Lucii. My apologies for the wait. I was seeing to another guest," the Keeper said, a wide smile turned to greet Noctis._

 _Noctis returned the greeting with his own. "I'm glad to see you well." The Keeper tilted their head. "Who is your other guest if I may ask?"_

 _The Keeper motioned for Noctis to follow them. "Carbuncle brought him several days ago. He has been a lovely guest so far and has been rather keen on reading several hundred years of literature." Noctis listened as they walked through the ancient library. He had no idea who the Keeper was talking about._

 _Until they came upon one of the many balconies of the library. Noctis was stunned into stopping in his tracks. There, sitting at one of the many tables of the library, was a familiar red haired man. "Ardyn?" He was confident that Carbuncle would not allow someone like Izunia into this almost holy place._

 _The Keeper motioned towards the stairs going into the library. "Go on. I shall be around should you have questions or wish to return to Eos." They paused then added, "I would suggest you take advantage of this time to find answers to your plight." They walked away, leaving Noctis to wonder what the Keeper meant._

 _With a heavy sigh, Noctis turned towards the stairs and whispered to himself. "Ignis should be the one here… Oh well, might as well check a few things out." He walked over to Ardyn and sat in front of his supposed-cousin. "Hey. I think we need to talk." Ardyn smiled and, after putting a bookmark in place, placed the book he was reading to one side. Noctis took a deep breath and asked the question that had been on his mind for a while. "Who are you?"_

The first few seconds of consciousness were a struggle for Noctis. His body felt heavy and he was oh so comfortable. Sleep sounded like an excellent idea but Noctis knew it wasn't an option. Not until he knew his lovers, his family, and his friends were alright.

He heard someone talking by his bedside; whether it was directed at him or at someone else, Noctis couldn't tell. He shifted slightly and the voice stopped. Noctis opened his eyes slowly, winced as the dim light proved too much for him, and turned his head towards the person.

"Noctis?" Regis Lucis Caelum asked in a breathless tone. A trembling hand was stretched towards Noctis.

"Hey dad…" Noctis said, his voice hoarse and strained. His throat was dry and just saying those few words were painful.

Regis threw himself forward, grabbed Noctis carefully and folded him into a hug. Noctis returned it, burying his head into the crook of his dad's neck. Neither of them let go for several long minutes as they cried. It was the sound of someone, Clarus, clearing his throat that caused them to let go of each other.

Clarus smiled as he presented Noctis with a glass of water. "Nice to have you back with us. We were worried."

Regis refused to budge from beside his son, merely shifting out of the way. He kept an arm around Noctis as he drank. "You've been unconscious for over a week. Since the Ritual ended."

Noctis lowered the glass slowly, "And the others? Are they alright? What about Altissia? How much damage was there?" He hoped his wall had been able to save at least part of the city from Leviathan's tsunami.

Clarus and Regis shared a glance that made Noctis uneasy but before either of them could say anything, the door opened. Gladio glanced into the room, his frown turning into a beaming smile as he said, "Thought I'd heard your voice."

"Noct's awake?" Prompto pushed past Gladio. He stopped for barely a second to stare at Noctis before jumping on the bed and kissing Noctis.

Noctis had no complaint even as Ignis' voice called out, "Do be careful Prompto; he has only just woken up." Noctis laughed as Prompto whined. His laughter stopped abruptly as he got his first real look at his boyfriends.

Ignis was in a wheelchair. Ugly red scars adorned his face, neck and the bit of skin showing above his gloved hands. Black tinted sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose.

Prompto's eyes were bright red, a red that Noctis had only ever seen on the Magitek Troopers the Empire used. His skin was peeling in several area and he, too, sported burns on his neck.

Gladio's arm was in a sling. He was dressed in his crownguard uniform so Noctis could see the deep purple bruising emerging from that area.

"What… What happened?" Noctis asked horrified, glancing between Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio. He turned towards his dad. "Why are they still hurt?"

Regis winced. Noctis frowned, "What happened Dad?"

It was Gladio who answered, motioning towards the bedside table. A table upon which rested the Ring that once adorned Regis' finger. "It's complicated, but the short version is: we got hurt during the Ritual and no one was around to make new potions and stuff. With you and Luna being unconscious, and…" Gladio scratched the back of his neck, glancing between his dad and Noctis'.

"Niflheim did something to me while I was in their care." Regis said, "... I can no longer use magic nor can I access the Armiger." Noctis paled at the news.

He looked around to the worried expressions everyone, including Ignis, wore. Noctis took a deep breath and said, "Tell me everything."

It took several hours for Noctis to learn what had transpired while he had been fighting Leviathan, and the days after. Food was brought at some point but Noctis ignored it after a few bites to concentrate on what was being said.

From Prompto having to use his daemonic powers, which were generally well accepted by everyone once a proper explanation had been given; to Ignis wearing the Ring to fight an apparently unkillable Izunia to hearing of Cor and Clarus' rescue of his dad. And then the massive clean up of Altissia in the days that followed. Aranea's ship had been acting as ferry between Lucis and Altissia. Cor and Iris had returned to Lucis to bring back the news of Regis' rescue. Selena had, after an argument with Nyx, gone to Galahd to do the same.

So much had happened.

Noctis slumped against the pillows and draped his arms over his eyes. "So after all that, I didn't even get the covenant I needed with Leviathan…." Ignis shook his head, he had taken his glasses off at Noctis' request and his one unbandaged eye followed Noctis' every movement. "Does Luna have any idea why?" He had a good idea why but didn't know if he was going to have to explain his… trial to the others.

Prompto flinched, raised a shaky hand and said, "Kinda? Apparently Leviathan said something about your magic being tainted. Luna said Leviathan was shouting so angrily, it knocked her out. The timing kinda matched when I started sending you a butt load of magic from my eating spree."

Gladio dropped a hand on Prompto's shoulder, "Like we said before, it wasn't your fault, Sunshine." Everyone, including Noctis, nodded in firm agreement. Prompto's shoulders slumped and he leaned into Gladio's touch.

Noctis debated telling them about the trial the Astrals held. As he was about to say something, someone knocked on the door. Ravus walked in, supporting a pale Luna. Nyx, Crowe, Libertus and Pelna slipped in after them.

Luna looked absolutely horrible. Pale to the point of her veins showing clearly, she was also crying silently. "Luna?" Prompto asked, rising to his feet. "What's wrong?" Ravus guided Luna to a seat while Luna shook her head shakily.

Noctis shared worried looks with the others as Ignis wheeled around the fetch another glass of water and some tissues for Lunafreya. They waited until she had calmed down.

"Oh Noctis, I couldn't change their minds! It was awful!" Luna said, reaching out to hold Notis' hand. "I tried to make them see they were wrong. I truly did! But Bahamut… and the Astrals… They…"

"I'm no longer fit to be the Chosen King?" Sighed Noctis.

Luna flinched, as did his father and Clarus. She looked at him, "How did you know?"

Noctis shifted to be more comfortable on the bed, an amused smile on his face. "Well…. Bahamut kinda tried to kill me after Leviathan made a scene about Prompto helping me." He shrugged, "I figured it was the most likely scenario." Noctis squeezed Luna's hand gently, letting her know he was fine with it.

"But.." Luna stammered only to be interrupted by Ravus.

"What about the Prophecy?" He asked, a thoughtful frown on his face. "What about the duty demanded of you?"

Luna appeared uncertain, "Bahamut would not answer my concerns. And Gentianna is not answering my calls."

Everyone started talking at the same time. Wondering what this news meant and how to handle the sudden change in priorities. Noctis laid back and listened to what was being discussed. He turned his head to the side and saw the Ring of Lucii sitting there, begoning silently.

Noctis reached out and closed his fist over the Ring. It burned with power. No. Not yet. He had no need for its power yet. The Ring vanished into the Armiger, sliding in place among the other Royal Arms he had collected.

"Noctis?" Ignis brought his attention back to the discussion taking place. "What do you have to say to this."

Noctis briefly closed his eyes. His mind going back to his many discussions with Ardyn in Carbuncle's Library. His mind was set.

He exhaled. Took a deep breath. Opened his eyes.

"Bahamut's Prophecy is no more." Noctis swept his gaze over all those gathered around him. "So I say we forget about the Six's desires and do what we want." His smile turned vicious. "Let's kick Niflheim out of our homes."

A/N:

And that ends Bahamut's Prophecy! Both this fic and the actual one XD The next part (and final one from a story pov) will be coming later this year if all goes well.

Thank you so much to everyone who has read, left kudos and commented over the years. I hope I was able to met your expectations. I certainly had fun and saw quite some improvements on my writing.

As previously mentioned, I will be concentrating on an original book I started the same year as Bahamut's Prophecy. The writing for that will take priority but I will be updating my other stories as I get inspiration and/or need a break.

King of Fire is about halfway done though all the planning is complete. I will finish it up within the next month or so and start posting it after.

A marvelous and heartfelt thanks to my amazing Beta-Reader who has been so patient with me despite my over use of old fashion words, and my countless mistakes. She has also helped me perfect parts of the story and gotten me through hard times (both creatively and irl).

Please go check her out! BarefootBassist on Ao3 and FF!


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